Copperbelt minister, Matambo, wants ZICTA to go after alleged social media rascals trolling President Hichilema

Speaking when ZICTA Director General, Collins Mbulo, and his management team paid a courtesy call on him in Ndola, Matambo said there was a growing trend of people abusing online platforms for defamatory and harmful conduct. Matambo urged ZICTA and law enforcement agencies to closely monitor digital platforms to prevent their use for actions that undermine democracy or disturb the peace the country enjoys. The minister also criticized the poor quality of service being provided by mobile network operators, noting that citizens were paying for data and airtime yet experiencing dropped calls, slow internet speeds, and unreliable connectivity.

“Our people are paying for data and airtime, yet they are experiencing constant dropouts, incredibly slow speeds, and unreliable networks. “ZICTA must hold these service providers accountable and ensure they meet the quality-of-service standards,” Matambo said. He highlighted that rural districts on the Copperbelt—including Lufwanyama, Masaiti, and Mpongwe—along with surrounding peri-urban areas, were particularly affected by poor or non-existent mobile network coverage.

“The connectivity is either poor or completely non-existent. These challenges are hindering their ability to participate in the economy and access essential government services such as the Social Cash Transfer (SCT),” Matambo said. On the issue of poor network connectivity, Mbulo said ZICTA had continued engaging mobile service providers, and that more investments were being committed to expanding coverage nationwide. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.