STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA 4.3.3 Law Suits The third quarter of 2018 saw a number of court cases involving the media. The cases involved contestations around abuse of freedom of expression and publication of information without verification and evidence. In one particular case, a journalist was charged for content of court for publishing false information. In relation to legal suits, the quarter opened with the case of former Post Newspaper Editor-inChief Dr. Fred M‟membe suing Rainbow Party Secretary General Winter Kabimba on allegations of homosexuality which were aired on Millennium radio and also published in the Daily Nation on 4th April, 2018. Months later on 6th July, the Zambia Daily Mail carried a story headlined, Kabimba Denies defaming M’membe. The article read in part: On April 3, 2018, Mr. Kabimba while on Millennium Radio program allegedly said Mr. M’membe and Dr. Cosmas Musumali were being funded by homosexual and they broke away from the Rainbow Party after he refused to entertain homosexuality and denunciation of Christianity. Mr. Kabimba’s remarks were allegedly published in The Mast, Daily Nation and News Diggers newspapers. Towards the end of the quarter on 26th September, the Zambia Daily Mail carried a story in which the Rainbow newspaper Editor-in-Chief Derrick Sinjela pleaded guilty to contempt of court. According to the Zambia Daily Mail, Sinjela published or caused to be published an article titled „Zambia Supreme Court verdict in the SAVENDA vs STANBIC bank is questionable.‟10 The journalist was charged on the basis of having published a story which he had no evidence to support his claim of a „questionable‟ verdict made by the Supreme Court. In relation to the same Savenda vs Stanbic case, on 23rd August, Lusaka Times reported that a clergyman also pleaded guilty for accusing judges of being corrupt in handling the case. Bishop 10 Zambia Daily Mail – Supreme Court Convicts Journalist – 26th September, 2018. 12