Leading newspaper closed by government

Zambia's biggest independent newspaper has been shut down by authorities over unpaid taxes, with its managing editor saying it is a move to silence it ahead of August elections. A report on the News24 site notes that Joseph Mwenda said police and tax officials physically closed The Post newspaper's offices in Lusaka late on Tuesday. Staff managed to produce the daily paper overnight with the help of a private printing company. The Post admits owing $4.8m in unpaid taxes, but Mwenda said ‘we have paid some money and we have a court order stopping them’. The Namibian reports that the newspaper is known for biting criticism of the government. Its editors and journalists have been detained and sued many times by successive governments since it was established in 1991. It has also been the main platform for the opposition candidates as the public media is owned and controlled by the government and the ruling party.

Full report in The Namibian

Full report in The Post

Full Fin24 report