By Kasebamashila Kaseba
HOW COSTA MWANSA COULD DISMISS, REFUTE, IGNORE THAN COURT SUE AND POLICE REPORT FALSE ACCUSERS
I have followed from a distance and admired the rise of journalist Costa Mwansa from the bottom of Muvi TV in about 2008 and to the top of Diamond TV in about 2016.
He built his reputation and personal brand through barrage of criticism and rumours that one of his critics, the Sunday Times of Zambia Television Column, recognised him as one of the most improved journalists.
However, he recently appeared on Hot FM in a poor balancing act of being a media owner and media worker or practitioner.
He featured on Hot FM “Red Hot Breakfast” as a media owner to bash “fellow” media workers.
Apart from the poor balancing act of media owner and media worker, he seems to thrive as an owner when the media especially the media workers seem to strive both under the PF and the UPND.
He also seems self-contradictory as a media owner fronting some media owners betraying the media workers and public interests for personal interest, like Prime TV Shawa.
IBA ruled that at its ban of Prime TV and other media owners also realised in 2020.
Mwansa knows Prime TV Shawa as media owner and cameraman is without proxies and would dismiss or sue Mwansa for being celebrity and proxy.
He also knows that media owners associations could sanction or sue media workers for forming similar media workers association or labour union or complaining about conditions, pay and NAPSA contributions.
I didn’t admire or pity Mwansa in his current troubles of reported sex scandai as proxy of media owners and traitor of media workers or snake charmer bitten by his snakes.
Diamond TV owner Bokani Soko of Ferd Jere & Company law firm knows very well that his client Prime TV Shawa is a jealous and insecure competitor as opposed to a cooperator.
Shawa associates with other media owners in their faces as he negotiates with their media workers in the backs of media owners.
How do I pity one who sees himself as a media owner or ally who has to report to the police or sue false accusers he didn’t need to dignify with police and court actions than ignore or dismiss with the contempt it deserved.
He is like some litigious or forum shopping media owners when the media workers are victims of bad media laws meant for media owners.
For example, Diamond TV owner and lawyer, for whom Mwansa is a proxy, has endured so much bad press without resort to litigation, as media worker-cum-owner Mwansa.
Otherwise, there are public figures that have handled bad press or defamation better than Mwansa.
Even HH repeal of defamation of the Prresident law could have been a public relations coup if it were strategically handled.
At least HH has changed the landscape of the litigious with frivolous and vexatious charges.
For example, in 1997, when Nevers Mumba just joined politics in addition to religion, with opposition of the Christian nation declarer politicians, at one media engagement, a journalist asked or accused him, of fathering a child or children out of wedlock.
He answered that as a man of God, he believed in securing all vulnerable children, orphans and street children that he would have wanted to take care of his children out of wedlock.
That answer was the end of story or false accusation.
In 2018, when Mike Mulongoti accused EL of being a Malawian alien, he was accused of neglecting his illegitimate children.
Mulongoti admitted he had a child or children out of wedlock he had already secured.
That was the end of accusation.
In 2004, Michael Jackson among others, was offended by rapper (colleague) Eminem’s song.
Jackson complained to Eminem without Eminem’s apology.
Jackson didn’t sue Eminem as generally expected to.
Instead, in 2007, Jackson seized the opportunity to buy the company holding Eminem’s catalogue.
Jackson died in 2009 still holding the rights.
Mwansa could fare better as media than law; a worker than owner.
