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State of the media in Southern Africa 2002
2002
ALERT
DATE: 2002-09-16
PERSON(S): Arthur Simuchoba,
Chali Nondo
VIOLATION(S): Legislated
162 So This Is Democracy?
On September 16, 2002, editor Arthur
Simuchoba and chief reporter Chali
Nondo, both of the privately owned
bi-weekly “The Monitor” newspaper,
were summoned to the Supreme
Court for the commencement of contempt
of court proceedings against
them.
The two were called to court following
an application by lawyer
Michael Mundashi, on behalf of President
Levy Mwanawasa, citing the
journalists with contempt of court for
publishing an article in the August 16-
19, 2002 edition of “The Monitor”.
The article alleged that Mwanawasa
had increased the salaries of supreme
court judges “to soften the judiciary
ahead of the Presidential petition hearing.”
Mwanawasa’s election in December
2001 is being challenged by
three opposition party leaders who
allege that he was dubiously elected.
Mundashi told the seven judges of
the Supreme Court that the story entitled
“Levy back-pedals on early polls”
casts aspersions on the integrity of his
client and the judicial process. He argued
that the newspaper should have
avoided making comments suggesting
that the president had used the
salary increase to persuade the court
to rule in his favour in the election
petition case. The president’s lawyer
requested that Simuchoba and Nondo
be cited for contempt of court.
James Shonga, the journalists’ legal
representative, asked the court to
give him time to study the case before
replying to Mundashi’s claims.
The case was adjourned until 20 September.
Simuchoba told MISA’s Zambian
chapter (Zambia Independent Media
Association, ZIMA) that Mwanawasa
is “very unhappy with us [‘The Monitor’].”
ALERT
DATE: 2002-09-17
PERSON(S): Henry Salim
VIOLATION(S): Beaten
On September 16, 2002, freelance
photographer Henry Salim sustained
a deep cut near his left eye from a
stone thrown by supporters of the opposition
United Party for National
Development (UPND), during a skirmish
with ruling Movement for Multiparty
Democracy (MMD) supporters
outside the Supreme Court in
Lusaka.
The two parties’ supporters had
gathered outside the court to show
support for their leaders at the start of
a presidential election petition hearing,
where three opposition party
presidents are challenging the election
of Zambian President Levy
Mwanawasa during presidential polls
held in December 2001.
Salim told MISA’s Zambian chapter
(Zambia Independent Media Association,
ZIMA) that the stone that
struck him came from UPND supporters
who were throwing stones at the
MMD supporters as police fired tear
gas to disperse the rival groups. “I was
taking a photograph of police firing
tear gas at the MMD supporters when
I was struck by the stone which made
me bleed severely,” he said. The photographer
reported the matter to the