MATHEWS MALAZIKA, MARY LEMBA
Lusaka
RADIO and television stations have been called upon to strictly adhere to ethical standards and public safety laws by averting broadcasting unapproved medical advertisements and misleading spiritual claims.
Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) director general Webster Malido is concerned over the growing prevalence of unverified promotional materials and testimonials.
Mr Malido said there is need to balance respect for cultural and spiritual traditions with the duty to protect the public from deceptive or dangerous claims.
He said this is because broadcasting platforms carry immense influence over public health decisions.
Mr Malido said this yesterday during a stakeholder meeting on unapproved medical products and spiritual claims in the media.
“Our concern is not the beliefs or practices themselves, but how claims relating to them are communicated through broadcasting platforms,” he said.
Echoing these concerns, Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority (ZAMRA) director general Makomani Siyanga highlighted the daily exposure of the public to extraordinary cure claims.
While clarifying that ZAMRA does not regulate traditional or religious beliefs, Mr Siyanga affirmed that the authority must intervene when unapproved medical products are advertised or when health claims risk public harm.
He cited Section 62 of the Public Health Act, which explicitly prohibits advertising products or claims promising to cure venereal diseases, sexual impotence, or related conditions.
“Unfortunately, a scan of our print and electronic media indicates that some advertisements continue to make claims that may fall within the concerns addressed by this provision,” Mr Siyanga said, calling on media houses and marketers to act responsibly.
Meanwhile, IBA has suspended KBN TV for 30 days following repeated breaches of election coverage guidelines and broadcasting standards.
The regulator has also handed 30-day suspensions to three other radio stations – 3FM Radio in Chipata, Mung’u FM Radio in Mongu, and Healing TV in Lusaka – for failing to settle their 2026 annual operating licence fees, which fell due on January 1.
In a statement yesterday, Mr Malido said KBN TV’s suspension was triggered by its failure to conduct discussions in a balanced, fair, accurate and objective manner.
He noted that the station repeatedly broadcast unsubstantiated claims and failed to offer alternative viewpoints or the right of reply.
Mr Malido revealed that KBN TV had previously received six written cautions and appeared before the IBA board four times between 2023 and 2026 for similar infractions, compelling the board to factor its chronic compliance record into the disciplinary decision.
Additionally, IBA has issued formal cautions to 16 other broadcasting stations for infractions detected during monitoring of this year’s general election coverage.