STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA parliamentary elections held in 2011. The three were arrested and charged soon after the Patriotic Front took over from the Movement for Multiparty Democracy. Ms Aridah Chulu who sat as Lusaka Magistrate acquitted Mr Phiri, Mr Mataka and Mr Mwanajiti at the no-case-to-answer stage because she had not found sufficient evidence linking the three accused to the offence. According to Ms Chulu, the evidence before her; the work of printing and publishing The Zambian was undertaken with the blessings of the government because what was being published was in line with what the government agreed to be undertaken.36 In another court, a Lusaka Magistrate Court, two Daily Nation drivers, Francis Malama and Joe Bowa on 9 October 2017 told the Lusaka Magistrate Court that they saw two broken glass bottles suspected to be petrol bombs in the Daily Nation Limited premises. This was in a continued trial of Henry Phiri who was facing a charge of attempted arson of trying to set ablaze Daily Nation newspaper premises.37 An executive businessman who is a Lusaka resident, Mr Golden Malama sued the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) for allegedly failing to give him a signal to run a television station. In a statement of claim lodged in a Lusaka High Court, Mr Malama who is the chief executive officer of Acts Television also sued TopStar Communications Company Limited and the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA).38 In opposition, the IBA asked the Lusaka High Court to strike it off the court proceedings because Mr Malama had no locus standi to bring a legal suit against the licensing body. The acting IBA secretary general, Mr Lushinga Kabwita in an affidavit stated that the IBA was not party to the agreement between Mr Malama and TopStar Communications Company and what led to the refusal of the frequency and had no sustainable cause of action against the IBA.39 36 ibid DN Two witnesses testify in Daily Nation arson case 10 October 2017 p.4 38 DN IBA sued over ‘no’ signal TV station 3 November 2017 p.5 39 ToZ IBA seeks court proceedings removal 2 December 2017 p.5 37 18