Zambia Correctional Services Commissioner General Percy Chato has confirmed the release of the journalist.
Mr. Chato says Mr. Chimba has been released in accordance with section 1118 which deals with the release of terminally ill patients.
During his recent visit to Northern Province, President Edgar Lungu announced that he will consider exercising his prerogative of mercy and pardon Chanda Chimba.
The Head of State said he has constitutional powers to pardon prisoners and not people who are still before the courts of law.
And Freelance Journalist Chanda Chimba the third has thanked President Edgar Lungu for pardoning him.
Speaking in an interview, Mr. Chimba says he spent most of his time at the cancer diseases Hospital.
He urged Zambians to avoid crime as the conditions in Prison are not good.
Mr. Chimba also wished President Lungu well as he governs the country.
Freelance Journalist Chanda Chimba was jailed for two years in November 2016.
He was convicted for disposing off property suspected to have been obtained from unlawful sources.
In 2011 Chanda Chimba produced highly defamatory articles against then opposition leader, Michael Sata, the Catholic Church leaders and others for the benefit of the MMD using suspected public resources.
During his visit to Northern Province, President Edgar Lungu announced at a rally in Mbala that he was likely to exercise his prerogative of mercy and pardon Chanda Chimba as he was reported to be battling cancer.
President Lungu also emphasized that this the only constitutionally approved intervention he could make as Head of State after a court conviction was secured.
He was responding to calls for him to intervene and release Opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema who had just been arrested and charged with Treason.
Number 1 !
Its better Chanda C III is pardoned than you-know-who !
Once the Catholic Church starts complaining against you then you should know your days are numbered. KK and RB ignored the Catholics in preference for money hungry pentecostals and we all saw what happened. Hope ECL won’t make the same mistake. Pentecostals can be misleading.
The Catholics do they even know democracy? They couldn’t even elect a black pope the last time around
If majority voters in the 2011 elections had taken the message in ‘Stand up for Zambia’ clips seriously, we would not be talking about the Edgar presidency today and all the mess that Sata helped to create. Surely the manner in which CC III productions did their delivery was unethical but just think again!
This is GREAT news. Only a president that cares and see no tribes like Lungu, would do that.
He proves everybody wrong.
At this rate he will likely be the GREATEST Zambian president EVER
Thanks
BB2014,16
@Mushota..ati “GREATEST Zambian president EVER” I just puked my coffee after I read that. Please stay away from such statements, I know you are screwed up in your head, but I just didn’t know it was that back.
Well done Mr president.
That gesture is a good one as Chanda Chimba is not doing too well.
You have shown good statesmanship.
God bless you.
What did Chanda do kanshi? Let him come out so he can advocate for prostate cancer screenings. Zambians are too glib for me mwe!
Even Presidential Pardons are abused ..no shame at all.
RB has hands on this……… Indeed RB is still the President of Zambya !!
This is what Lazy Bum Edgar is good for pardoning criminals and abusing his powers…ZWD were right about 6 months ago when they said Chanda would be pardoned. Zambia is rotten…fighting corruption is also a non starter as the president will always pardon culprits without shame.
Three words. Rupiah Bwezani Banda
Poor reporting! For how long has he been in prison and Where? What was he imprisoned for?
Chanda chimba was thrown under the bus by RB and shikapwasha,,,,,
Very true
Unfortunately for Chanda Chimba, Lungu now has him by his hairy goolies. Chanda has to continue singing Lungu’s praises from now onwards.
Great gesture, Mr. President but Chanda is just one of the many terminally ill prisoners. Consider pardoning more of the terminally ill who are in various prisons.
@Kapoko you men including yourself!
@Kapoko you mean including yourself!
@MB
Yes Mudala, including myself, even if I am not terminally ill. What do you think?
It is not his personal prerogative of mercy! It is provision for the office he will leave to the next person. We should avoid personalizing institutions! We make ourselves look too small!
@ Real Quest . You are absolutely right. Lungu has no authority to pardon convicts . But the President has that right. That is why an attempt to who ever kills or endangers the life of the president has committed treason. HH endagered the life of the President and not that of Lungu. That is why he has been charged for treason.
You two guys must be very dull. He will leave office for sure when time comes but as long as he remains President he has every constitutional to say so. He is speaking in his office as the President of Zambia. Go back to school mwilaisebanya.
@Jiwala i am sorry, i didnt read through your point but now i get it. You are right.
Let us free everybody! Those cells are not fit for human habitation! We need to work on a more humane approach towards reformation of suspects and convicts after all there are many outside those places who have done much worse. A multidisciplinary parole board is needed to do this work rather than leaving it to the political mood of the office bearer! I am sure there are worse cases than that of Chanda!
I guess he will practice better journalism that the character assassination he did on my shikulu. Manage your health Sir. I guess your family needs you more than we do.
Thumbs up to EL.
Well done President Edgar Lungu for pardoning Chanda Chimba.this is how a president can free somebody and not pardoning a suspect.if HH will be convicted by the courts thats when ECL can pardon him and not now as he is still very innocent.FOR NOW WE MUST ALL LET THE LAW TAKE ITS COURSE IN HH’S MONGU SAGA!!enjoy your freedom Chamba Chimba.hope you learnt a big lesson in jail!
he didn’t need to go to jail for that rubbish in the first place
Thank you Mr president remember to pardon HH when the time is suitable. He didn’t know what he was doing. He was following the friend who is in India.
@Edward. Naimwe ba Edward you mean you don’t know they only pardon the convicted? Ba Edgar already told you!
Hh is not convicted of any crime. At the moment he is innocent in short a suspect. Even when he is convicted it’s better not to release for the sake of peace.
@ Edward …You are such an illiterate. Get to know IT before you expose yourself and your level of despartion: True Name: Mwansa Edward, Current Location as I am typing this: Kitwe. The ***** who claims to have a Masters degree in Practical Theology- in Clinical Pastoral Care. a Gold digger “Rev.” and fake member of Southern Africa Association for Pastoral Workers ( SAAP). Claims to be accredited category 5 level with SAAP. Runs a Katemba called The Edward Mwansa REBT institute which aims to “train” pastors, church leaders and psychosocial counselors in Pastoral Counseling for Gold, usinig Gold…How do I know all this?…never mind, my advise is that find more time to learn IT before you are shot by unknown people. It is never too late!!
Good for him and he should remember that money in life is not everything. Obviously he was paid lots of money for producing and presenting that hate campaign programme. The same PF that he strongly campaigned against has pardoned him. This also shows that Edgar Lungu and PF in general has a heart for people because if you recall the way this man strongly campaigned against the PF!And against all odds Sata won the elections but unfortunately never even enjoyed his presidency due to ill-health.
JUST BECAUSE HE IS BEMBA THAT IS WHY HE IS PARDONED. HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ILL IN PRISON AND LUNGU HAS NOT PARDONED THEM? HH AND GBM WERE TOGETHER IN MONGU BUT YOU DECIDED TO LET GBM GO FREE BECAUSE HE IS BEMBA. YOU THINK WE ARE FOO.LS, WE ARE WATCHING YOU. CHIEF NALUBAMBA HAS WARNED YOU ANYWAY.
You do know that Lungu is not Bemba right?
General Kanene is not Bemba. Muteteka is not Bemba
When did the Bemba and the Ngoni, sworn enemies since the 1800s become one and the same tribe?
Uzakamba kusogolo
Wishing H.E the incoming-UPND president GBM a quick recovery. Thats a great move bakalamba, whilst the 1d1ot is rotting in prison for conducting ‘Under-5 politics’ you should start organising the structures because honestly speaking, we have lost all hope in HH !
GBM for UPND Presidency !!!
The president needs to extend acts of clemency to others who are also terminally ill.It is inhuman to keep a person who is about to face the grave in a hostile environment.What benefit is the nation getting apart from feeding and treating such a human being?Even if such a person is released,his life is already terminated by prison conditions.It is like the prison warders know that the person being released will just stay few days before he kicks the backet. The case in example was Jack Chiti.He was released from prison when he was terminally ill.I will not be suprised if Chanda is released when the powers that be knows that his life is over.They are running away from responsibility of shouldering funeral costs.
Sad
Alfred Foloko is that you with Chanda Chimba in the photo?
Even hh will be released when his health fails him. At the moment he is fit to leave in prison cells.
So Chanda Chimba is sick with what? Is it Egesi? We need to come clean if it is AIDS and say so, so our children can be warned of the repurcations of phucking around, not all this lies that it is cancer ala.
AIDS cancer are the same…! The cells both mutate and there is no cure yet. AIDS is a Prion disease, and cannot be destroyed by cooling or heating. Cancer needs radiation or chemo to kill the cells.
Zambians forget that malaria kills more people in Zambia that HIV/AIDS does. STDs KILL too…!
Used by politicians and dumped in prison.
Anyway politics is gumble as well as business. If Chanda Chimba had MMD won the election, he would have been press aid to president Banda. .
Saved by cancer .
What cancer? What type? He looks loke AIDS patient to me. Grey brownish thin hair, pale skin, weak looking and lose of weight. Everything points to AIDS. Don’t buy the koolaid the are selling you. Nigga has AIDS and we need to call it as it is, or else, our kids will not fear the virus because those that have it are ashamed to use their condition to warn others that don’t have it including their own children and families. I have seen AIDS take a toll in my family when I was young and our elders refused to talk about it because it was embarrassing subject and I have a problem with at kind of attitude as those that are not yet sick they continue phucking around and late get infected, so lets call it as it is. AIDS. Lets not accuse cancer when it isn’t. Chanda Chimba, VJ, Edger Lungu are…
Nsimanadelele pantu mu konkluda. Teyonse amalwele mucalo ayotwita ati AIDS. Do you have evidence that he has AIDS? If you don’t why should we blow up your suspicions as if they are the truth? Te Science iyoo
@Nsimananyama, Iwe chimbalananyamayakolwe, what evidence do you want? A law has to be implemented to those that have AIDS to make it public, let their patners or would be partners know of their medical status or being being prosecuted should they infest their girlfriends, wives/husbands. Hospitals should let these patients know of their status and that their names are added to a database of those that are infected. It should be made public to benefit those that are not sick, not embarass those that are sick, but to safe guard those that ain’t infected yet. Those that ignore the law and when found guity, should be charged with murder if they infected other people. Just like it is here in the USA.
..are all AIDS patients are walking coffins waiting to die. Chiluba, vp Kunda, Regina all died of AIDS. So there I have it for you.
HIV/AIDS is not new – it has been around for a century or two. So many of us could be carriers – just like many Africans carry the sickle cell anaemia. No jokes about one suffering from HIV/AIDS your grandparents could have been carrying the virus for years. Especially those who have been killing monkeys for dinner
@Bo, Iwe Bo, its mentality like yours that is wrong in the first place. If you think you are carrying the virus, please get tested before continue screwing around. I get tested every year for everything because I get health insurance discounts and I know my status for literally everything, so don’t assume, get tested.
It is prostate cancer and he gave a very good synopsis of the disease that at one point I wondered why medical doctors are not the people spearheading dissemination of such vital information to the public.
These are RB’s boys. Chanda Chimbwi as shikulu put it was a product of MMD and all the derogatory statements or publication or he made was done in the interest of the MMD to beat PF. Now that PF is run by RB and MMD I’m not surprised that he has been released.
In fact he has also been saved from another scam for libel where he defamed the former Post by Mosho wa Mosho. RB is really thanking his boys for the bad jobs they did for him. That is why there is a belief that, if there was change of power the liquidation of the post would be reversed. This is true going by what has happened to Chanda Chimbwi.
Lungu is a hypocrite and a satanic Opportunist. Lungu’s Minister Bowman Lusambo has wished HH dead and Lungu has not repremandated him. Lungu has been denying HH Medical attention so he wants him dead becoz he beat him during the 2016 Election. Lungu is not a Christian becoz he is enjoying inflicting pain and suffering on HH for Political Reasons. Lungu does not love thy neighbour. Christians for Lungu should be ashamed of Lungu’s Barbarism when he directed his Police to Raid HH’s Home and left a trail of destruction and chaos and then went on to arrest,detain and imprison HH on trumped up Treason charges.
@Masauso,
Much as it is wrong to wish anyone dead or say that it would not be loss to Zambia if HH died compared to the dying of President Lungu, as Lusambo said, I have yet to remember as to when HH and the UPND leadership ever reprimanded the UPND cadres and their mouthpiece, the Zambian Watchdog, for the manner in which they wished late President Sata dead on a daily basis or now wish President Edgar Lungu or the Litunga dead on a daily basis. Why expect President Lungu to do that which your leaders in UPND do not do? Could it be because President Lungu is more God-fearing than your HH and his fellow UPND leaders?
LT why moderate my comments? Did I hit the nail on its head? Are you AIDS patients that I am talking about here? Publish my comments so people with an open mind can read them, this ain’t dictator Kim Jong Un’s North Korea where people are censored, what the F**k?
@Nsimananyama, Iwe chimbalananyamayakolwe, what evidence do you want? A law has to be implemented to those that have AIDS to make it public, let their patners or would be partners know of their medical status or being being prosecuted should they infest their girlfriends, wives/husbands. Hospitals should let these patients know of their status and that their names are added to a database of those that are infected. It should be made public to benefit those that are not sick, not embarass those that are sick, but to safe guard those that ain’t infected yet. Those that ignore the law and when found guity, should be charged with murder if they infected other people. Just like it is here in the USA.
Great that President Edgar Lungu has pardoned Chanda Chimba the III. I never at any point liked his Stand Up for Zambia defamatory videos. They were journalism at its worst. But he seems to be remorseful and it is good he can be reunited with his family. President Lungu has done well to pardon him though I initially thought he should not have been let to set foot in prison when it became clear he had advanced cancer of the prostate. I hope he can use his release to educate more men about the disease though his own experience with the disease.
@Nsimananyama, Iwe chimbalananyamayakolwe, what evidence do you want? A law has to be implemented to those that have AIDS to make it public, let their patners or would be partners know of their medical status or being being prosecuted should they infest their girlfriends, wives/husbands. Hospitals should let these patients know of their status and that their names are added to a database of those that are infected. It should be made public to benefit those that are not sick, not embarass those that are sick, but to safe guard those that ain’t infected yet. Those that ignore the law and when found guity, should be charged with murder if they infected other people. Just like it is here in the USA. What’s there to moderate here you clowns?
There are many more people in those death dungeons called prisons in Zambia. And we have the executive branch of government whose salaries are on time every month and the situation is not improving in our prisons. The people who go there are like you and me. Even prison cells, you are failing to maintain, what are you going to maintain? When are you ever going to start working? Because you were given the mandate but just waffling daily, just talking and talking. Twatendwa mwe
Well done Mr president.
That gesture is a good one as Chanda Chimba is not doing too well.
You have shown good statesmanship.
God bless you.
The orangutan is free at last, see how he trapped himself in
a figure 8
THE PARDON OF LUNGU SPEAKS VOLUMES. CHIMBA HAS BEEN RELEASED TO COME AND ASSASSINATE THE OPPOSITION. YOU MARK MY WORDS. LUNGU IS NOT MERCIFUL AND HUMBLE. HE WANTS TO HELP HIM WITH CHARACTER ASSASSINATION BECAUSE HE HAS SEEN THAT CATHOLIC IS NOT WITH HIM ANYMORE.
True, RB is behind this pardon, Chanda will now be used to destroy opposition and the Catholic Church as it now appears to be an enemy to PF..we will wait for everything to unfold.
He released Austin Liato in the same way (compassionate-terminally ill) prior to 2016 elections. Liato went to stand on PF ticket in Western Province.
@1.1 Pef, maybe the Catholics but not Telesphore Mpundu. He is just a donkey politician if you what I mean by sonkey.
If a donkey develops a communicable disease we can still consider that for pardon.
Thanks to GOD he is at last out of these filth prisons in a christian nation.All the same i will not give credit to LUNGU or P CHOTA not at all .they have released him knowing he is dying of prostate cancer. .All they are avoiding is funeral expenses .Why didn’t they release him when he started getting sick in 2015.? Besides he was jailed for nothing but saying SATA was a bad cobra who has left us with this cruel LUNGU who has arrested HH in the night by damaging his house.There were 200 cars on the road why did they just concentrate on one car instead of stopping all of them? shame PF your days are numbered .
Cheap propaganda, a fool will fall this pretence by evil PF
Is it God’s judgment?
It is wrong to selectively pardon one man. Chanda Chimba is not the only one suffering from a terminal illness. This selective pardon is politically motivated. The pardon is meant to spite HH who Lungu has jailed on trumped up Treason charges and is denying him medical attention so that he dies in prison. Lungu is inflicting pain and suffering on HH as punishment for refusing to recognize him as President. This is vengeance and it is ungodly. Lungu is a pseudo Christian who pretends to be Godly and yet he is the Devil Incarnate thru his actions. God says love thy neighbour but Lungu is persecuting HH and 2500 UPND Supporters who are languishing in jail on trumped up charges of aggravated Robbery. ZPS Policemen who raided HH’s Home committed a crime and should be charged with Aggravated…
THANK YOU YOUR EXCELLENCY MR. PRESIDENT FOR PARDONING CHANDA CHIMBA. You have demonstrated your love to humanity.
Do not pardon HH. He does not need pardoning or being portrayed along the lines of criminality. He never committed any crime in the first place. Just cut him loose. Chanda Chimba the third did not deserve to be sent to jail either. Everything he said in his stand up for Zambia is now bearing fruit. Shame
Mwaice Chanda Chimba NEVER AGAIN should you be enticed with money to do wrong things! It was not bravery, but love for money! You alone went behind the bars leaving the rest enjoying life. Take it as unforgettable bitter lesson.
Chanda Chimbwi pardoned??? from now onwards akalalumbanya ba kateka ba EL ubwaila no bwacha kwati li penga .
I am not a blogger on this site because I am a Civil Servant. I am just proposing a Vote.
How many people still read the fictional character ,Musho? As for myself, whenever I see the name, I skip.
Aza pola manje manje.
Its common for Zambian presidents to pardon famous or popular prisoners.There are a lot of convicts who are terminally ill who deserve to be pardoned but because of nepotism they are still overlooked.And Percy Chato has overstayed in prison service that’s why there’s rampant nepotism and high death rates in prisons.Chanda Chimba is a victim of the Sata’s dictatorial administration.I hope you were not paper-sprayed to your private parts.And knowing you i can’t rule out faking the disease.
Chanda Chimba, please “Stand Up For Zambia” again. Speak against the current dictatorship. Thanks.