Rumours Siliya, Mwanakatwe wants to buy the Times of Zambia

It has been rumoured Dora, Mwanakatwe and Mateyo Kaluba want to buy the Times of Zambia. 

Allegations have arisen that the six month non payment of salaries to workers the Times of Zambia is deliberate, as Information Minster Dora Siliya and her Finance counterpart Margaret Mwanakatwe want the company to look broke, so they can purchase it for a very small price. 

Siliya initially spoke in secret to former finance minister Felix Mutati about buyer the company at K30m, however the deal flopped as workers refused to sign a questionnaire on the sale of the company.  

Very little has emerged surrounding these claims, but what is known is that the Times of Zambia employees continue to struggle on with no salaries, six months on. 

The state owned media institution continues to battle to pay workers despite having been aided by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) last year. 

The Zambia Union of Journalists (ZUJ) has expressed their disappointment at the state of affairs at the Times of Zambia, where employees are owed several months of unpaid salaries. 

ZUJ president Shamaoma Musonda said there has been no commitment to liquidate the arrears despite the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) helping out last year.

“Right now, the arrears stand at six months and promises have not been actualised, leaving employees in suspense and highly demotivated. This situation is causing industrial unrest with the demoralised staff who have over the years given their best to the institution,” Musonda said.

He has demanded that the arrears be paid.

“The workers also need to be told what the future of the company holds as working with such anxiety does not inspire hard work and productivity. We hope that the Board, as promised, will tackle the matter conclusively at a Board meeting later this week,” Musonda added.

The government owes the institution millions of kwacha in unpaid adverts and other services, Musonda said, “and this debt is constraining the balance sheet and operations of the company”.