THE Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) has summoned religious bodies, traditional healers and other stakeholders to brainstorm over the growing number of misleading programmes promising instant wealth, miracle healing and quick fixes to life’s problems on radio and television.
During a stakeholder engagement meeting held yesterday, IBA Board member Benson Banda warned that some broadcasts had turned into traps for desperate citizens, with smooth-talking preachers and healers dangling heaven on earth while quietly emptying people’s pockets.
The meeting brought together the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ), Health Professions Council of Zambia (HPCZ), Zambia Institute of Marketing (ZIM) and the Traditional Healers Practitioners Association of Zambia (THAPAZ), among others, all agreeing that the airwaves were slowly being hijacked by deception.
IBA Director General Webster Malido noted that some programmes were now going beyond spiritual encouragement and crossing into exploitation, where vulnerable viewers are promised jobs, money and love restoration in exchange for belief.
Stakeholders were in rare agreement that something must be done before the situation gets out of hand, with calls for tighter regulation and more responsible broadcasting.
The Authority has since reminded radio and television stations that the microphone is not a magic wand and that all content must be properly vetted before reaching the public.
Kalemba March 27, 2026
