UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema says he is worried with rate at which the PF and its leader President Edgar Lungu are selling the country’s strategic assets and land due to corruption and debts to foreigners. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission on Friday announced the granting of a conditional authorisation for a merger between ZNBC and Hantex Corporation, which is controlled by China’s Star Times.

But the ZNBC board says the statement from CCPC must be taken in the context of national broadcaster and Star Times coming together to create Top Star Communication Company Limited. According to a statement by the CCPC board chairperson Kelvin Bwalya Fube, the application for merger of the two institutions was made on June 20, 2018.

The Chinese company’s shareholding in ZNBC would be relinquished upon full payment of over $270 million loan obtained by the government for the digital migration exercise.

“That the operational functions of Top Star shall be split into two entities. Top Star shall perform the functions of public signal distributor while ZNBC shall perform the subscriber management services and content provision services. The two entities shall relate on commercial basis at arms length. Top Star (JV) in their operations of signal distribution shall ensure that it provides access to entities that require signal distribution services on the same terms or those that would apply for ZNBC. And within a reasonable period of time as that accorded to ZNBC,” Fube stated.

But ZNBC board chairman Mulenga Kapwepwe stated that the national broadcaster was hundred per cent owned by the citizens and could not be sold or taken over without the approval of Parliament. She stated that the relationship between ZNBC and Start Times was in relations to the formation of the Joint venture company called Top Star. Kapwepwe stated that the two companies had retained their full operational and ownership autonomy. She stated that the relationship would not in any way affect the shareholding of ZNBC and Star Times as both parties remain independent.

Kapwepwe stated that the law allowed ZNBC to enter into agreements and partnerships as regard to its operations. Commenting on CCPC’s conditional authorisation of application for merger of ZNBC and Hantex Corporation, which is controlled by China’s Star Times, Hichilema stated that ZNBC was no longer Zambia’s asset.

“We have noted with worry the rate at which the Patriotic Front party and its leader, Mr Edgar Lungu, are selling our country’s strategic assets and land due to their corruption and debts to foreigners. The most recent being ZNBC, which has been merged with the Chinese owned Star Times,” he stated in a statement yesterday.

“We are aware that ZNBC in its current form is having difficulties to give a platform to all the voiceless Zambians despite paying taxes, but this decision by the PF who are in fact the major beneficiary of this strategic asset when citizens pay taxes, must be reversed. If that does not happen, the PF’s rule will be reversed to opposition status, and we shall see to it that this is done. In simpler terms, being in a merger means that ZNBC is no longer our country’s asset but belongs to the Chinese and will only be fully owned by our people when the loans acquired by Mr Edgar Lungu and his PF are paid back, if ever they pay back.”

Hichilema stated that he was certain that the PF would never pay back the Chinese debts.

“And this is the more reason why we wrote to the Chinese government alerting them to stop giving loans to the PF as they were choking our citizens and leading to the stripping off of our sovereignty as a Nation. The PF administration is acquiring expensive loans not for the good of our country but to only do the following: repay their old huge debts and corruption and unfortunately, these loans have to be paid back by Zambians. Does this surprise us? No, because the PF are shameless liars who will never accept anything and let alone taking responsibility for the economic meltdown they have caused our country.”
Hichilema stated that when he previously stated that ZNBC had been sold due to PF loans and corruption, the same “small group of corrupt individuals” went to town arguing that it was not true.
“But now that they have disclosed, it goes to show
that there are more strategic assets and land that Mr Edgar Lungu sold,” he stated.

Hichilema stated that there were more economic problems ahead due to what he termed reckless loans by the PF government, which might render Zambians foreigners in their own country.

“As citizens of this nation, we must unite to reclaim our land, social, economic and political freedoms from this group of few corrupt individuals. Lastly, our appeal to the country is that do not lose hope because help is on our way and together we shall triumph as there is no single corrupt group that supersede people power! Our land! Zambia first,” stated Hichilema.