Mutinta Buumba Mazoka M'membe (born c. 1977) is a Zambian newspaper owner and politician. She owns the independent publication The Mast.
Biography
editMutinta Mazoka was born c. 1977.[1] Her parents are the late politician Anderson Mazoka and Mutinta C. Mazoka, a former member of the National Assembly of Zambia.[1][2]
Mazoka studied political science at Syracuse University, then worked for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs in Washington, D.C., before attending graduate school at the American InterContinental University, graduating with an MBA. She went on to work in finance, with nonprofits, and on entrepreneurial ventures[3]
She then became the publisher of The Mast, an independent newspaper in Zambia that was launched to continue the work of the shuttered Post.[4][5]
Mazoka was a longtime member of the United Party for National Development, which was founded by her father, Anderson Mazoka. In the 2021 Zambian general election, she ran to represent Monze Central constituency in the assembly, but she lost during the primary vote.[1][6]
Her husband, Fred M'membe, is a Zambian journalist who ran the now-closed Post.[7] In 2021, he ran for president as leader of the Socialist Party.[1] Mazoka, however, chose to remain with the UPND—whose candidate, Hakainde Hichilema, eventually won the presidency—over joining the Socialist Party.[1][8]
In November 2022, Mazoka resigned from the UPND.[9][10] She had been a member of the party's powerful National Management Committee at the time.[9]
In February 2017, Mazoka was charged with attempting to prevent the arrest of her husband, but she was acquitted the following year.[11] She was previously arrested in connection with she and M'membe's journalistic work in 2016.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Zimba, Jack (2021-02-16). "Mutinta Mazoka: Why I chose Dad's party over my husband's". Zambia Daily Mail. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
- ^ Moonga, Chambwa (2021-01-04). "Politics isn't dirty – Mutinta". The Mast. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
- ^ "Mutinta Mazoka Mmembe - Young, focused & forward thinking". Commerce Gazette. 2013-08-16. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
- ^ "Zambia : The Mast is not an illegal publication- Mutinta Mazoka M'membe". Lusaka Times. 2016-11-14. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
- ^ "Freedom in the World 2018: Zambia". Freedom House. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
- ^ "Mutinta Mazoka has lost the primary adoption elections to Jack Mwiimbu". The Zambian Observer. 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
- ^ "Mandates of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders". Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
- ^ "Zambia's opposition leader Hichilema wins presidential vote at sixth bid". TRT World. 2021-08-16. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
- ^ a b "Zambia : Mutinta Mazoka dumps UPND". Lusaka Times. 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
- ^ "We respect Mutinta's decision to leave party – UPND". Zambia: News Diggers!. 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
- ^ "Zambia : Fred M'membe's wife acquitted, slams PF for using Police for their own Political ends". Lusaka Times. 2018-07-09. Retrieved 2021-02-16.
- ^ "Zambian editors arrested trying to enter newspaper's offices amid tax dispute". Committee to Protect Journalists. 2016-06-28. Retrieved 2021-02-17.