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Copperbelt Minister, Elisha Matambo, has called on the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) to take firm action against individuals allegedly insulting and bullying President Hakainde Hichilema on social media.
Speaking when ZICTA Director General, Collins Mbulo, and his management team paid a courtesy call on him in Ndola, Matambo said there was a growing trend of people abusing online platforms for defamatory and harmful conduct.
“ZICTA should be exceptionally vigilant and ensure those abusing social media by insulting innocent people, including President Hichilema, are dealt with. There is a growing abuse of cyberspace by unscrupulous people,” he said.
Matambo urged ZICTA and law enforcement agencies to closely monitor digital platforms to prevent their use for actions that undermine democracy or disturb the peace the country enjoys.
The minister also criticized the poor quality of service being provided by mobile network operators, noting that citizens were paying for data and airtime yet experiencing dropped calls, slow internet speeds, and unreliable connectivity.
“Our people are paying for data and airtime, yet they are experiencing constant dropouts, incredibly slow speeds, and unreliable networks.
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“ZICTA must hold these service providers accountable and ensure they meet the quality-of-service standards,” Matambo said.
He highlighted that rural districts on the Copperbelt—including Lufwanyama, Masaiti, and Mpongwe—along with surrounding peri-urban areas, were particularly affected by poor or non-existent mobile network coverage.
“The connectivity is either poor or completely non-existent. These challenges are hindering their ability to participate in the economy and access essential government services such as the Social Cash Transfer (SCT),” Matambo said.
In response, ZICTA Director General Collins Mbulo acknowledged that social media abuse was an issue of serious concern.
“Social media abuse is a source of concern for ZICTA. People are misusing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to abuse others, including VVIPs. Recently we apprehended a few individuals, and with the new cyber security law, the Zambia Cybersecurity Agency has now been established,” he said.
On the issue of poor network connectivity, Mbulo said ZICTA had continued engaging mobile service providers, and that more investments were being committed to expanding coverage nationwide.
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