THE self-reliance segment of the Morning Live programme on ZNBC TV 2 should not go unnoticed.
The segment brings out stories of people who have made it in life without necessarily depending on hand outs.
Last week, Constance Matongo interviewed a gentleman, whose name I missed, making ends meet by running a salon and beauty palour which should ideally be feminine domain.
We have seen a lot of times people using the tired plea that Government should give them jobs even when they cannot do anything for themselves.
The youths should wean themselves from the “boma iyanganepo” syndrome and I feel it is the role of the media to drive this point home.
Half the time you watch community news, especially on Muvi TV you see residents grappling with certain problems of their own making but still have the audacity of asking Government to do something about it.
Last time I saw a news item from somewhere in Kalikiliki township where rain water was flooding people’s houses and residents were calling on Government to do something about it.
I will put my head on the chopping board by asking if those residents have done themselves any favours by throwing garbage in the drainages.
Apart from that they have built houses in swampy areas which are always water logged.
The point I am making is that ourselves as media as we go out to residential areas where residents are crying out, let us also ask them what they have done for themselves. They have to meet each other half way with state support instead of crying for things that they can easily be addressed by themselves.
This brings me to the famous quote by former US President John F Kennedy, “fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
Youths particularly must start becoming self reliance instead of being used as tools of violence by selfish politicians.
The gentleman who was features on the self reliant segment would obviously be supported if through his business he asks ‘boma’ to advance him a loan through the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission or Youth Fund.
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As the local soccer season came to a close last weekend, we can look back to the way our local television stations covered it and obviously the gong goes to ZNBC.
That’s a long trodden topic about local sports content on local television which is admittedly hampered by the astronomical charges in television rights.
My thoughts today though are with the way sports programmes that may not be as expensive as an Africa Cup qualifier match still go uncovered.
For example Emmanuel Mayuka plays 12 minutes for Southampton in a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa on Monday night but it was only on news on Thursday. Zesco United wins the league on Saturday ZNBC runs the match report on Sport On programme on Wednesday.
No television station pays rights for that. Other sports are also yearning to be televised. A case in point is the basketball league, the netball league let alone the various disciplines under the Sumsung Challenge at OYDC.
This reminds of last weekend’s boxing event at which Catherine Phiri and Charles Manyuchi reigned supreme albeit in unconvincing circumstances.
What compounded the debacle was the claim by Manyuchi that after Saturday’s win, he was ready to face Floyd Mayweather!
We may not be privy to the way the World Boxing Council (WBC) rates boxers and the subsequent pairing but Bukiwe Nonina was clearly no match for Catherine, neither was Devis Casseres for Manyuchi.
What is even more surprising about the whole Oriental Boxing Promotions fiasco is that Exodus Boxing stable matchmaker Anthony Mwamba has condemned it the loudest.
It must have been a very bad bill if Mwamba who himself lined up several nondescript boxers to fight Esther Phiri including a kick-boxer, saw something wrong with Catherine and Manyuchi’s opponents.
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