''The Post'' is an independent
Zambia
Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...
n newspaper. It was one of the three primary
newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...
s of the country. The newspaper was set up in 1991. The Sunday edition of the post newspaper was called the ''Sunday Post'' and contained a special section focusing on education called Educational Post. ''The Post'' was seen to be the most popular and biggest selling newspaper in Zambia according to BBC. The newspaper was closed in 2016 for failure to settle tax obligations in what has been described as a politically motivated move over the paper's frequent criticism of the government.
History
Fred M'membe founded ''The Post'' in 1991 as a weekly
Lusaka
Lusaka ( ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was abo ...
newspaper, along with three co-founders
Mike Hall, John Mukela and Matsautso Phiri. As an accountant, M'membe was appointed managing director of Post Newspapers Ltd and tasked with developing the business, while the others focused on editorial content. It soon started publishing countrywide. By 1996, it had started publishing Monday to Friday. By 2000, the newspaper was publishing daily and had become the most politically outspoken newspaper. It is believed to have helped stop the then-president
Chiluba from changing the constitution to enable him run for a third term.
In recent years, the post newspaper had become a voice of the people. Many Zambians have expressed views about the government which they wouldn't have expressed in the Zambian-government owned medias. Notable critical writings includes:
*Article by Prof.
Muna Ndulo called "The Chansa Kabwela case "a comedy of errors" which has resulted in the post newspaper cited for contempt of the court.
*Article by Roy Clarke. called "Mfuwe" in which the late President
Levy Mwanawasa
Levy Patrick Mwanawasa (3 September 1948 – 19 August 2008) was the third president of Zambia. He served as president from January 2002 until his death in August 2008. Mwanawasa is credited with having initiated a campaign to rid the corrupti ...
is perceived to have been referred to as Muwelewele (translates: useless). The article was a satirical article. Article saw Roy Clarke indicated for deportation which he successfully contested in court.
*Arrest of
Dipak Patel for calling the then president Chiluba a thief, which was published in the Post
''The Post'' has also been involved in wrangles against the Zambian government. In 2001, Fred M'membe was arrested for calling the then president,
Chiluba a thief. This case was disposed off by President
Levy Patrick Mwanawasa
Levy Patrick Mwanawasa (3 September 1948 – 19 August 2008) was the third president of Zambia. He served as president from January 2002 until his death in August 2008. Mwanawasa is credited with having initiated a campaign to rid the corrupti ...
in 2002. In 2005, Fred M'membe was again arrested for defamation charges "following an editorial in which he wrote that Mwanawasa was a man of "foolishness, stupidity, and lack of humility". In 2009, Fred M'membe has been indicated for contempt for publishing an article by
Cornell Law School
Cornell Law School is the law school of Cornell University, a private university, private, Ivy League university in Ithaca, New York.
One of the five Ivy League law schools, Cornell Law School offers four degree programs (Juris Doctor, JD, Maste ...
professor
Muna Ndulo, titled "The Chansa Kabwela case: a comedy of errors."
"The Chansa Kabwela case: a comedy of errors"
/ref>
As of October 12, 2023, the URL www.postzambia.com does not go to the newspaper website. All links to www.postzambia.com are broken
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Post
Companies of Zambia
Daily newspapers published in Zambia
Newspapers established in 1991
1991 establishments in Zambia
2016 disestablishments in Africa
21st-century disestablishments in Zambia
Publications disestablished in 2016