Patriotic Front disciplinary committee chairperson Brian Mundubile says sub-committees of the party are assessing all social media blogs existing in the party’s name and their administrators to clamp down abuse.

In an interview, Mundubile announced that the development was a result of continued abuse of social media by the general membership and some party sympathisers to insult the PF leadership.

“We have committees under communication and they will look at the final details of the blogs that are existing in the name of the party, who the administrators are? But our call is on the administrators of those particular blogs that if a blog or a WhatsApp group is set up in the name of the party, the administrators take responsibility. They are the ones who know their members. So, if members begin to insult leaders and the administrators are quiet, it means the administrators, themselves, are in agreement with those sentiments. So, it will be very easy for us to institute these measures and where we can’t go down and identify these individuals…a person can be in the UK and is part of a particular WhatsApp group, it may be difficult to go to the section to get them. But what is the administrator of that particular WhatsApp group doing? Why haven’t they removed such an individual?” Mundubile asked.

He urged WhatsApp group members to also be vigilant and condemn any acts that demeaned the top party leadership.

“And also for the other members that are on these WhatsApp groups, we want to see vigilance, we want to see them begin to condemn such acts immediately! If somebody is insulting the SG (Davies Mwila), for instance, and I am a member of the WhatsApp group, I only have two options: condemn the person that is insulting or to exit from that particular group [as a way of] recording my displeasure in the manner that the group is being handled or in which the members are participating,” Mundubile added.

He complained that some party members and sympathizers found it easy to disrespect and insult leaders through the social media platforms, yet administrators opted to remain quiet and look on.

“Being the chairperson for discipline in the party, as a party, we are looking into the issue of discipline very seriously, starting from social media. What we have noticed with dismay is that some party members and sympathizers alike have found it very easy to disrespect and insult leaders. And yet our party constitution is very clear that for all those that would want to call themselves as members of the Patriotic Front, let them acquaint themselves with the provisions of the (party) constitution as regards discipline,” Mundubile said.

He further said the PF had instructed its structures, including the lowest organs, to take action against anyone who abused the social media platforms to insult the leadership.

“As a party, you know we don’t have membership cards and many people think that because of that, others that are not PF members find it easy to pretend to be PF members and come and insult leaders and go away. And, unfortunately, some of our genuine members also fall into that trap to join because these people are not brandishing cards. And so, we have instructed our party structures right up to branch and section levels that whoever does that, we are able to trace them because of what ZICTA has done as regards to phone numbers. So, we know who is doing what. And the party structures at that level will take action,” warned Mundubile.