Some citizens disguise themselves in online publication ‘Zambia Daily’ to politically disgrace Malawi

It is being suspected that some Malawians with ill intentions have created an online page that they have disguised to appear like it is a news outlet for a Zambian mainstream media house all designed to politically disgrace their own country.

The online page is called ‘The Zambia Daily’ and its administrators target news from Malawian mainstream media as well as from social media and turn them into negative by creating an impression like Zambians are on a national scale mocking some of the news happening in Malawi.

The online page even has a Zambian flag but some Zambian journalists have confirmed that the ‘The Zambian Daily’ trending in Malawi does not exist in their country.

“We just see it [copied] on social media like Facebook and WhatsApp and all we know is that it’s coming from your side and no Zambian is involved,” said a Zambian journalist source who asked not to be mentioned.

To add credence that the suspects are Malawians, one post was copied from Malawi’s renowned writer and journalist, Onjezani Kenani’s Facebook January 24 post in which he posted a picture of a bridge that was being officially opened in Blantyre’s South-West constituency.

Kenani was questioning the rationale of a large contingent from the Ministry of Transport as well as the Roads Authority travelling all the way from Lilongwe and claiming huge allowances to open the bridge that is claimed to have cost MK29 million.

As concerned citizens debated over the post in which some were questioning if indeed the structure they were seeing could cost a whopping MK29 million, one person added a screenshot from ‘The Zambian Daily’ believing it indeed was from Zambia media because his caption said: “It’s made news in Zambia. I guess they saw your post.”

It was discovered that soon after Kenani’s post, another from ‘The Zambian Daily’ cropped up on social media of the same bridge being opened with the caption: “A leading activist from Malawi posted that Government Officials from Malawi ministries travelled from their capital city Lilongwe to Blantyre (4-5 hours drive) to open this bridge that is claimed to have costed (sic) MWK29 million (close to ZMWK400,000). This is a very big achievement in Malawi.”

Another post from ‘The Zambian Daily’ on January 19 said: “Quick Facts about Malawi’s achievement in the past 20 years:

“1. Their President, Pro Peter Mutharika is the most educated president in Africa and has vast academic experience.

“2. Joyce Banda became the first woman president in Southern Africa.

“3. The only country that Madonna has adopted over 3 children. They now live happily in USA away from poverty that is rampant in Malawi.

“4. Where William Kamkwamba, the boy who harnessed the wind comes from and has grown to be a world genius.

“5. Produces best Marijuana that is loved by USA celebrities and happily call it Malawi gold. Has special website selling the plant at over 200% profit.

“6. They have very beautiful women who never say no to men. They are also believed to be very good in bed and most white men prefer Malawian women than rest of Africa. They are also known to be screamers and love it without protection.

“These are some of the good things about Malawi. We the Zambians wish them well and the best. No hate comments please today,” ends the post.

Sources say they had seen many of such hate posts that seemed like Zambians were deriding what is happening in Malawi and all along Malawians thought the Zambians might have been irked by what Malawians might have done for them to start hitting back.

“Even some Zambians based in Malawi were surprised at this turn of events and when they inquired back home why this was happening they reported back to us that such smear campaign wasn’t originating from Zambia.

“But reading through the lines, many analysts have concluded that these are just Malawians with ill intentions and it is just a political gimmick trying to discredit the government ahead of the 2019 general election,” said our source.

 

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