STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA journalists. Tembo asked the court to grant him leave to subpoena Information Minister Dora Siliya, President Lungu‟s Press Aid Amos Chanda, journalists Oliver Chisenga (The Mast), Stuart Lisulo (Diggers), Stehen Mvula (Zambia Daily Mail) saying their testimonies would support the case in which he wants the court to determine the legality of the land gift President Edgar Lungu received from his eSwantini counterpart. He stated that he served letters on the five on October 23 2018, inviting them to testify on the date of the trial but neither of the witnesses accepted service of the same nor showed willingness to appear on the date of the trial to testify and now wanted the court to compel them to testify. Hope to have The Post come into operation were turned down by the Constitutional Court in this quarter. On 12th December, the Daily Nation reported that18: Constitutional Court yesterday dismissed with costs a petition in which former Post Newspapers (in liquidation) proprietor Fred M‟membe was seeking an order to reverse the winding up of the newspaper company. Mr. M‟Membe was also challenging the Kitwe High Court‟s decision to quash the Judicial Complaint Commission (JCC) ruling which found High Court Judge Sunday Nkonde with a prima facie case for professional misconduct. On law suits, the year ended with the case in which The Mast newspaper was dragged to court for defamation. On 17th December, it was reported that Patriotic Front (PF) Southern Province Youth Chairman Obby Mweemba sued The Mast newspaper for defamation of character19. According to the lawsuit filled at the registry of Livingstone High Court last week and obtained by the Daily Nation, Mr. Mweemba is demanding for damages caused by articles which the newspaper published about him. This is in relation to the news article which the newspaper published last month in which Mr. Mweemba was referred to as a „Mailoni brother‟. 18 19 Daily Nation – M‟membe Loses Bid To „Resurrect‟ Post Newspaper – 12th December, 2018 Daily Nation – Mast Dragged To Court For Defamation- 17th December, 2018 14