Lusaka ~ Sun, 10 Oct 2021
By Brightwell Chabusha
Social media vlogger Chitambala Mwewa has been sued by Davies Mwila of the Patriotic Front for slander and libel.
Mr Mwila together with Lusaka City Council (LCC) employee Mwenya Matafwali are seeking damages for libel and slander from Mwewa of Simon Mwewa Lane TV.
And the two plaintiffs are also seeking an order of
injunction to restrain Mwewa from continuing to defame the party.
The plaintiffs are demanding aggravated and exemplary damages.
Mwila further wants the court to order Mwewa to render a public apology to the PF over the defamatory remarks.
On August 29, this year, Mwewa published on his Facebook page a statement which the plaintiffs say was not true.
Mwewa stated that: “During the PF…all the monies collected from city market used to be
channeled to the Patriotic Front’s secretary general, Mr Davies Mwila
… and then a stipend (a small amount) would be sent to LCC. This was not a secret, everyone knew, but we couldn’t say anything because the mighty Patriotic Front would shut you down.”
According to the plaintiffs, Mwewa’s words were and have
been aired on various social media platforms mostly circulated on
facebook but have been shared on whatsapp and Instagram page.
The duo stated that the words meant and were understood to mean that
the plaintiffs have misappropriated government funds for personal
finance gain and that could not be entrusted with public funds.
He stated that it was further understood to mean that Matafwali
and the PF were untrustworthy and corrupt, criminals that abused
power and were thieves.
The plaintiffs stated that in their natural and ordinary meaning, Mwewa’s words meant that they are unprofessional and have misappropriated government resources meant for the
development and advancement of the Lusaka City Council and the City of
Lusaka at large.
The two plaintiffs stated that Mwewa has unjustly caused
to their reputation and continues to do so by the circulation of the
slanderous post which was accessible to millions of internet users, both
home and abroad.
They further stated that Mwewa’s allegations were all false and untrue
and that at no time did they abuse their office, share or
misappropriate funds market funds intended for the LCC.
Last week, Mwewa was sued by Chawama PF member of parliament Tasila Lungu for accusing her of having purchased a bank together with its assets at K300 million.
