Prime TV Owner Apologises Over COVID-19 Messages

The owner of Prime Television Gerald Shawa has apologised to the government and Zambian citizens over his refusal to air messages about COVID-19 free of charge. 

Two weeks ago, Mr Shawa told Permanent Secretary Amos Malupenga of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting that he would not air any messages about the disease without the government paying for them.

This led to an announcement by the government that it would be terminating its relationship with Prime Television and that the broadcaster would no longer be invited to cover government business. 

Yesterday, however, Mr Shawa apologised for his outburst, saying that he had been emotional during his meeting with government officials and that Prime TV could not function without its relationship with the government. 

The TV boss asked for forgiveness for his actions. 

There is currently no indication whether the government will reverse its boycott of Prime Television, which some commentators have called an assault on the free press.

Fred M’membe, the former editor of the Zambia Post, said it was part of a concerted effort by the government to “throttle the independence of the media sector in this country”.