Protest may be hijacked says vice president

Vice president George Kunda has urged the organisers of the protest on violence against journalists to be wary of their responsibilities because other people might take advantage of the situation and hijack the planned protest to cause confusion.

He said media organisation leaders should reflect on the issue and consider cancelling the march or have an in-door meeting where they could discuss the issue of current attacks on some practitioners.

Kunda said the Government did not want to build hatred against journalists because they were partners in development.

And Home Affairs Minister, Lameck Mangani has challenged the media to produce concrete evidence about their complaints of harassment instead of generalising the matter.

Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia chairperson, Henry Kabwe said the planned peaceful demonstration by journalists was not about confrontation but to highlight their cause to the leaders and the public.