STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA STATE OF THE MEDIA IN ZAMBIA 4.3.3. Censored The quarter saw less cases of direct censorship of what was published in the media. However, on 11th March 2019, it was reported by the Daily Nation Publication that the Ndola High Court had gagged the paper from reporting on the emerald mining scandals involving Germcanton Emerald Mine through an ex-parte order of interim injunction. The order granted to Wolle mining Limited in the absence of the Daily Nation, restrains the paper from publishing articles which it claims are injurious to its reputation and character. The details of the case were reported in the Daily Nation newspaper of 11 th March 2019 as follows: Wolle Mining Limited, the shareholders in the Germcanton Investments Holding Limited, asked the court to restrain the Daily Nation from publishing stories relating to its ownership wrangle with Frango Finance Services. According to the affidavit in support of ex-parte and the inter- parte summons for an order of injunction, Wolle claimed that by publication of such articles, the company and co-plaintifs’ reputation had been put into public odium, ridicule and disrespect, and painted as criminals and of bad character. The company claimed their credit, character, and reputation had been tarnished, brought into public odium and low esteem both within Zambia and in the international community at large, and would have continued to be lowered unless the tabloid and its reporters were restrained as they had continued to wantonly make public the article complained of. Wolle futher claimed that the tabliod’s wide publication about Gemcanton and itself to the Zambian and international community was detrimental and caused injury and discredited the plaintif’s reputation and business. The company also prayed that if the tabloid was not restrained from publishing the said articles, the company and its co-plaintiffs would continue to suffer irreparable injury to their character and reputations The summon read in part: “On the 6th December, 2018, the defendants falsely and maliciously published as a headline and at page 3 of the Daily Nation, on issues headed “$50m emeralds smuggled.” By the statements of paragraph 9, the defendants meant and were understood to mean that the 2nd 26