University of Zambia Students’ Union (UNZASU) president Jones Mwewa says UNZA Radio does not promote student welfare at the institution arguing that the station only reports about politics and is used by politicians to further their political agendas. But UNZA radio station manager MacPherson Mutale has described Mr. Mwewa’s claims as “baseless and unsubstantiated.”
The University of Zambia (UNZA) Radio management has dismissed claims by UNZA Students Union (UNZASU) president Jones Mwewa suggesting that the radio station is a tool of political propaganda.
Mwewa told the Lusaka Star in an interview that UNZA Radio does not promote student welfare at the institution, but only reports about politics, citing UNZA radio’s Lusaka Star radio programme.
But station manager MacPherson Mutale described Mr. Mwewa’s claims as “baseless and unsubstantiated.”
“Does he even listen to Unza radio? Because it is clear from his comment that he doesn’t know what he is talking about?” Mr Mutale wondered.
Mr. Mwewa’s comments came shortly after he failed to feature on the Lusaka Star radio magazine where he was scheduled to discuss the impending corruption cases in the union.
Asked why he did not feature on the radio programme, the Union Leader said he was attending to student’s affairs.
The Union President further charged that the Lusaka Star radio programme is a tool used by politicians to further political propaganda to enrich themselves at the expense of students.
“The Lusaka Star is a propeller for political propaganda used to benefit the outside and not for the benefit of students,” he said.
Meanwhile, UNZA radio director of programmes David Chisanga has maintained that the station will never entertain negative comments from people who shun invitations to feature on the station’s radio programmes.
Mr. Chisanga explained that the policy of UNZA radio has always been putting student interests first.
“It is evident even in our news that the first story is anything happening on campus,” he added.
The UNZA Radio director has since advised Mr. Mwewa to start listening to the radio station and monitor the content before uttering unwarranted remarks aimed at bringing the station into disrepute.