ZANIS tells court it never accredited Zimbabwean journalist in M’membe espionage case

The High Court of Zambia has heard that the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) did not receive any accreditation request from a Zimbabwean journalist alleged to have filmed a documentary linked to espionage charges against Fred M’membe.

Testifying as a state witness, ZANIS Editor-in-Chief Rosaria Lubumbashi told the court that the agency had no record of an application related to the documentary titled The Grand Regional Scheme: How Foreign Powers and Local Elites are Destroying Africa Part 1.

Lubumbashi said that on December 4, 2023, she received correspondence from ZANIS Managing Director Loyce Saili asking whether the institution had processed any accreditation for a Zimbabwean journalist.

She said she instructed officers to verify the records, and the feedback confirmed no such application had been filed.

“I guided the press office to respond accordingly,” she told the court. “The response was that ZANIS did not receive any application from a Zimbabwean journalist to carry out press work while in Zambia.”

She said the response was formally documented in a letter dated December 6, 2023, issued on official ZANIS letterhead and signed on behalf of the director.

Lubumbashi explained that ZANIS was mandated to interpret government policy, disseminate information and facilitate accreditation for both local and foreign journalists.

Earlier, Judge Mwaka Ngoma granted a state application to amend the indictment and ordered the accused to take a fresh plea. M’membe again denied the charge of espionage.

It is alleged that between August 26 and September 16, 2023, M’membe, jointly with others, communicated or gave information deemed prejudicial to the safety or interests of Zambia. The information was contained in a documentary circulated on various media platforms.

The documentary is titled The Grand Regional Scheme: How Foreign Powers and Local Elites Are Destroying Africa Part 1.

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