Contractor demands apology from Times TV for ‘presenting wrong information’
Clement Mukumbwa, a contractor trading under Fukumele Building Contractors, has written Times Television (TTV) demanding an apology and withdrawal of a ‘defamatory’ news item which was broadcast on March 4 and March 5, 2021 news bulletins on the television.
According to a letter by Mukumbwa’s lawyers, Blackstone Chambers, which Nyasa Times has seen, Times Television has been given an ultimatum of seven days to apologise.
The letter says if Times Television fails to act within the seven days, Blackstone Chambers will then proceed with a legal suit.
“We have been retained by Clement Mukumbwa who trade as Fukumele Building Contractors, who has given us firm instruction to demand an apology and withdrawal of the defamatory news item aired and published on your Television Station on March 4 2021 and March 5, 2021.
“Our Client states that your Television Station carried a news item during 7pm and 8pm primetime news broadcast that our client had received about MK900, 000, 000.00 from the Malawi Government to ‘kickstart’ the construction of Police Houses in Karonga,” reads the letter in part.
According to the letter, in the said broadcasts, Times Television had stated that ‘….Mkumbwa was already given about K900 000 000.00 out of the MK1, 300 ,000 000 contract sum to kick start the project’.
Blackstone Chambers further says the foregoing statement is inherently and profoundly wrong and defamatory as “our client states that he only received initial payment of MK184, 000, 000”.
“The said defamatory statement has portrayed our client to the public as a crook who despite having received huge sums of public money for the implementation of the project, he deliberately and intentionally failed to implement the project. Hence, the imputation of the said statement has lowered our client in the estimation of right thinking members of the society generally,” reads the letter signed by Counsel Lugano Mwambutwa.
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This is a genuine factual error. It does not amount to defamation. The company received the money. However, the amount was wrongly quoted. What do you mean it is defamation? The company received the money not so?
Times should just amend the amount to read K184 million.
BODZA AMAZOLOWELA KASAKULA STOOGE GEORGE SUE THEMNKKK
Sue them!!! Ife kumastand
Palibe nkhani apa. The contractor got the money. Times should just correct the amount.
Mwasowa chochita eti? Pali chosuma apa? Why can’t you just ask TTV to correct the figure?
Journalism at it’s worst in Malawi rushing to publish/broadcast without due diligence in investigations.
There is nothing to apologize, the issue is you got the money from government to start the work. Are you refusing that you didn’t get any amount from the government?
It is just a matter of correcting figures not tendering an apology, by the way why are you waked up? Your reaction speaks volumes and volumes of your hidden sins!