Workers at the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) have been cheered by the transfer of Information and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary Amos Malupenga, who has been re-assigned as PS to Western Province.
Malupenga has been swapped with Western Province Permanent Secretary Emmanuel Mwamba, who will now carry the duties of overseeing administration of state media services.
ZANIS is a department under the ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services that is largely used for government propaganda. The institution has branches in all provincial headquarters and districts in Zambia.
During a number of interviews, ZANIS workers said the departure of Malupenga was a blessing in disguise. The workers said Malupenga’s departure from the ministry of Information and Broadcasting services was good riddance since he was not adding any value to the government department.
Some of the workers talked to said Malupenga had no managerial skills and he was forcing the infiltration of the Post newspaper’s kangaroo way of operating an institution into the government wing.
One worker said Malupenga found himself in the government after appeasement for peddling propaganda for the PF while at the Post newspaper, hence no one expected any credible performance from him.
The workers said Malupenga was using his office to settle personal scores, stifle press freedom by intimidating and threatening public media journalists.
“This is the problem that we make as human beings. Amos was given that job to spearhead the growth of the media in Zambia, but he grew big-headed and found himself where he is. He spearheaded the retirement of young journalists at Times of Zambia and Zambia Daly Mail. He wanted to do the same at ZANIS and ZNBC, where people have continued to work in fear. In fact, Amos is lucky not to have been fired. At ZANIS, we shall not miss Amos Malupenga at all and I am sure he knows this detail,” the worker said.
One worker said public media journalists received Malupenga’s transfer to Western province with glee because he was fond of embarrassing them at State House and other government functions where he demand that journalists must be wearing suits when they received meager wages t afford such outfits.
“Amos Malupenga once paraded journalists in front of cameras at State House because they did not wear suits. It was very embarrassing but he forgot that we get very little salaries to be buying suits that Malupenga wanted us to be wearing every day when going to cover government assignment,” the source said.
Another worker who spoke on grounds of anonymity said Malupenga thrived on intimidation threats and his position as a Patrotic Front (PF) appointee to pretend that he was an effective leader.
“This is the best news we have received this week. Our weekend will be joyous and most of us will be celebrating Amos Malupenga’s exit. He came with so much zeal and excitement but he behaved like a blind man who was leading himself into a ditch and everyone let him fall because he never cared to lsten to anyone. Coming from the Post newspaper, which he thought was prestigious, Amos wanted to bring that inferiority complex into the civil service. All that excitement and pomposity has deserted him now and let him try to continue with that attitude in the sands of Namushakende in Mongu, Kalabo and Lukulu districts and he will learn more bitter lessons from there,” one worker said.
The worker said Malupenga must realise that appointments into government positions were high risk jobs because one served at the mercy of the appointing authority.
He said Malupenga must reflect on what had happened to him and search his soul to change his character because he was above everyone and his name had been mentioned in illegalities for programmes such the digital television migration plan, the introduction of holograms and hosting of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation programme.
The worker said Malupenga drowned himself with perceived power that he drew from his position, which controlled all public media institutions.
Efforts to get a comment from Malupenga before publishing failed because his mobile phone went unanswered.
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