By Staff Reporter
ZNBC board chairperson Bishop Joseph Kazhila has questioned the K3 million dividend declared by Top Star.
And President Hakainde Hichilema said the government is concerned with the strategic partnerships that ZNBC entered into because they are not delivering the results.
Speaking during the ZNBC board visit to State House yesterday, Bishop Kazhila told Hichilema that ZNBC through his board had received K54 from Million from MultiChoice and another K3 million from Top Star.
“Top Star has given us also a dividend of K3 million of course there are a lot questions of … K3 million sure,” Bishop Kazhila said as he gestured to the President with a smile.
Earlier, Bishop Kazhila said the board found a heavy backlog of pensions for people who retired many years before Hichilema’s government came into power.
He also said the board also dealt with the deceased estates.
Bishop Kazhila said in the midst of strainous financial challenges, the board cleared all retirees up to October 2024 and the deceased estates, were cleared up to November 2024.
He said through his board’s tenure, they appointed the director general and other directors whose portfolios were vacant.
Bishop Kazhila also said through their work, they had managed to maintain industrial harmony of the corporation.
He said ZNBC also sought financial assistance from cooperating partners such as UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and the European Union (EU) to digitalise content which can be commercialised.
Bishop Kazhila said so far UNESCO had given ZNBC $75,000 which the national broadcaster was currently using.
He also said the EU had pledged to give the state broadcaster $1million on condition that they also look for the same amount, telling President Hichilema that they needed help in that area.
Bishop Kazhila also said they found historical debts some of them quite huge and they had been reaching out to the parent Ministry and office of the Secretary to the Cabinet and were hoping that they could be removed from their books in one way or another.
He also said not all the equipment at ZNBC was up to date and there were transport challenges.
Bishop Kazhila said in the last three years, the board desired to buy 10 vehicles but they only managed to buy five, which he said were a drop in the ocean.
He further said in as much as the public condemned the national broadcaster, the board had done what they could to ensure that they got content from the little resources that they were getting under the challenges that they were facing.
Bishop Kazhila said ZNBC was a widely watched station not just in this country but even beyond.
He explained that a research which was conducted by an international organisation showed that ZNBC was the number one television broadcaster in the country and they had data to that effect.
Bishop Kazhila also requested Hichilema to visit ZNBC and see how it’s running, being managed and learn more about the station.
He also said the President should be interviewed while there.
And Hichilema said the government had concerns on the strategic partnerships that existed.
“We have concerns about the strategic partnerships that we have, whether they deliver value as intended or not. I think they are not because the numbers will tell. So maybe we need to spend time on that entrepreneur side maybe not in this meeting, we can indicate the work that needs to be done to look at these strategic partnerships and how much value they deliver to ZNBC,” President Hichilema said. “Because that is what we were told when they were framed, when they were put together. ZNBC now doesn’t have to come to the tax payers’ for money because these strategic partnerships will deliver resources, because they brought capital, they brought new revenue streams but will hear from you.”
He congratulated the board for dealing with debts and talked about the debt situation that his government inherited.
He said the country was in a debt crisis whose debt it had managed to restructure and was able to attract investment in various sectors.
President Hichilema also said the debt situation in the country seemed poorly managed by institutions and overall by the government.
He urged ZNBC not to live beyond its means and ensure it does not to consume revenue but invest it.
President Hichilema pledged support to ZNBC in securing historical data in usable form so that children could learn from history.
The President also said he was more than willing to visit ZNBC in Lusaka and Kitwe offices to learn more about their work.
Caption: President Hakainde Hichilema with government officials and ZNBC board members during a meeting at State House yesterday
