STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA
4.0 Findings
4.1 Policy and Statutory Framework
The media industry in the country operates under the portfolio Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting Services and is also guided by the occasional policy pronouncements or changes as
well as existing legislation or statutory instruments. During the period, there was a proposal to
amend a provision in both the Independent Broadcasting Authority Act and Zambia National
Broadcasting Corporation Act. The amendment was passed by Parliament during its sitting in the
last quarter.
Amendment to ZNBC and IBA Acts
On 30 November 2017 the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, Ms Kampamba
Mulenga presented a Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (Amendment) Bill to Parliament.
The objectives of the Bill were mainly to repeal provisions relating to the imposition and collection
of the television levy and appointment of television levy inspectors under this Act, and to delete
definitions, provisions relating to the imposition and collection of the television levy.1
She also presented the Independent Broadcasting Authority (Amendment) Bill whose objective
was to provide for the charging and collection of television levy.2 The two amendment Bills were
aimed at operationalising the new arrangement of collecting television levy effective from January
2018 proposed by the Minister of Finance, Mr Felix C Mutati, when he presented the 2018
National Budget at the end of September 2017. During the budget presentation Mr Mutati
proposed a change in the collection of TV levy to subscriber management service licensing system
from the existing arrangement which enabled ZNBC to collect the levy through electricity bills
once a month when customers purchased power units from the Zambia Electricity Supply
Corporation (ZESCO). Mr Mutati also proposed an increase in the monthly TV levy from K3 to

1
2

The Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2017, No. 18 dated 27 November 2017
The Independent Broadcasting Authority (Amendment) Bill 2017, No. 19 dated 27 November 2017

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Select target paragraph3