State of the media in Southern Africa - 2004 • ALERT Date: January 1, 2004 Persons/Institutions: Breeze FM, BBC Violation(s): Censored On January 1 2004, Zambia’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services (MIBS) ordered the community based commercial radio station, “Breeze FM”, to stop the relay of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) programmes. “Breeze FM” is based in Chipata, an area approximately 600 kilometers from the capital Lusaka, and broadcasts over a radius of 150 kilometres. “Breeze FM” Managing Director Mike Daka told MISA-Zambia that the MIBS Assistant Secretary for Press, Juliana Mwila, on January 1 reiterated the ministry’s directive that the broadcast of BBC programmes was in violation of the radio station’s license conditions. Mwila pointed out that in line with the station’s application, it was licensed to carry foreign news sourced only from the Zambia News Agency (Zana), the Southern African Broadcasting Association (Saba) and Pan African News Agency (Pana). • ALERT Date: January 5, 2004 Persons/Institutions: Roy Clarke Violation(s): Expelled On January 5 2004, Roy Clarke, a columnist on the privately owned “Post” newspaper was given 24 hours in which to leave the country for allegedly having insulted President Levy Mwanawasa and two other cabinet ministers in an article published in the “Post” newspaper of January 1, 2004. Home Affairs minister Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha confirmed having issued orders to deport Clarke in Lusaka on January 5 when he addressed ruling Movement for Multi party Democracy (MMD) cadres who were gathered at his office demanding the immediate deportation of Clarke. Shikapwasha said Clarke was being deported because time had come for him to be let out of the country. He said government cannot allow Zambians to be insulted by a foreigner through satire. He said government has been following Clarke’s writing and was finally deporting him. In his weekly column, the Spectator, Clarke is said to have referred to President Mwanawasa as a Muwelewele (fool) and called two of his cabinet ministers names. • UPDATE Date: January 7, 2004 Persons/Institutions: Roy Clarke Violation(s): Expelled On approximately 20h15 on January 5 2004, the Lusaka High Court blocked a deportation order against the “Post” newspaper columnist Roy Clarke, who is accused of insulting President Levy Mwanawasa and calling two of his ministers “baboons”. The action signified that the decision to deport Clarke could not be effected until it was heard by the court on Thursday, January 8 at 14h30. Meanwhile, the government announced that it was looking for Clarke, who had reportedly gone into hiding to elude deportation. • UPDATE Date: January 9, 2004 Persons/Institutions: Roy Clarke Violation(s): Expelled On January 8 2004, the Lusaka High Court adjourned the hearing of the case in which Post newspaper columnist Roy Henry Clarke is challenging his deportation from Zambia. The case was to be heard on to January 26, 2004. So This Is Democracy? 2004 127 Media Institute of Southern Africa