• TIMES Printpak production manager Joseph Phiri (right) explains the newspaper production process to Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Chishimba Kambwili (middle), as company deputy managing director Chishimba Chishimba looks on. This was during the minister’s visit to the Times head office in Ndola yesterday. Picture by MOSES CHIMFWEMBE

By YVONNE CHATE –

INFORMATION and Broadcasting Services Minister Chishimba Kambwili has said Government has made progress in resolving the financial problems at Times Printpak Zambia Limited and other public media.
Meanwhile, the minister has reaffirmed the directive for all Government ministries to ensure that they pay upfront for advertising services in the public media.
Mr Kambwili said Government wants to recapitalise Times Printpak and liquidate its indebtedness.
He said this when he toured Times head office in Ndola and other media houses yesterday.
“We are looking at helping Times Printpak Zambia Limited so that they can pay workers and eventually recapitalise the organisation,” he said
The minister was not happy that unionised workers still had three months in unpaid salary arrears, while management staff had six months’ salary arrears.
Mr Kambwili said Government institutions owed both the Times and Zambia Daily Mail arrears for advertising services dating as back as three years.
He said there were plans to turn the statutory debts that both public newspapers have, to be converted into equity shares and allow for the organisations to commence on a clean slate.
“Statutory debts for the Times and Daily Mail should be converted into equity shares so that we can help Times of Zambia to pay its workers and recapitalise,” he said.
Mr Kambwili said it was important that Government wings adhered to his directive for upfront payments because they owed more.
Meanwhile, the minister has urged the media to be factual in their reporting to avoid misleading the nation and eventually creating chaos.
He said most of the phone-in programmes on radio stations allowed defamatory statements without the programme moderators guiding the callers.
Mr Kambwili advised the media to be responsible in their reporting and stick to their norms of educating, entertaining and informing the masses.
“I have come to visit the private media to advise them to stick to their norms of educating, entertaining and informing the public, we have a lot of phone-in programmes where people are defamed and cannot defend themselves,” he said.
He said this when he called on Copperbelt Minister Mwenya Musenge yesterday.
He said the media played a very important role in development and investment in the country hence the need to be responsible in their reporting.
Mr Musenge appealed to Mr Kambwili to consider allocating transport and camera equipment to ZANIS in Chililabombwe, Chingola, Mufulira and Masaiti.
Mr Kambwili also toured Muvi Television, Zambia Daily Mail, ZANIS and Sun FM.