Here is the full story, from the night it started to the morning it (partially) ended.
Who's Who
Mutale Melissa Mwanza, 38, is one of Zambia's most recognisable media personalities. Born in Kitwe on the Copperbelt in 1987, she rose through Flava FM, became the first Zambian woman to create, produce and host her own show on DSTV Africa Magic (Kumwesu) in 2013, and went on to co-host Tuvwange Lifestyle on Zambezi Magic. Her social media following branded "M-Nation" is reportedly over a million strong.
She is also the same media personality whom Hot FM fired in February 2021 for conduct that the station's CEO explicitly described in a termination letter as behaviour that "literally amounts to cyber bullying." That context matters for what follows.
Chinyemba Daisy Mwansa Lusumpa, 38, is known publicly as Chichi Daisy. On her own platforms she lists her credentials as a certified Zambian PR practitioner, TV producer and presenter, screen and voice actor, award-winning radio host, and currently Head of Production at Crown TV Zambia. She was formerly a Diamond TV presenter and was one of two hosts of the 2024 Diamond TV Personality of the Year Awards the event that set this entire saga in motion.
November 7, 2024: The Night Everything Broke
The 2024 edition of the Diamond TV Personality of the Year Awards (POTYAS) was held at Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka. The official programme was overshadowed by a side incident: socialite Miriam Musokwe, better known as "Aunty Milly" publicly clashed with her ex-husband Mulwanda at the venue, a confrontation that went viral overnight.
Mutale Mwanza wasn't at the awards. She was watching online. And she took Aunty Milly's side.
What followed, according to reporting from Zambian Digest, was a "vulgar and unhinged Facebook rant" on the M-Nation page in which she attacked Diamond TV, its personalities, and specifically the two women hosting the event. She framed the posts as standing up for Aunty Milly, whom she felt had been bullied by the hosts.
The posts that later formed the basis of the court filings included:
Calling the POTYAS "fraudulent" and "a scam"
Referring to the hosts as "hoes" / "whores"
Accusing Diamond TV male staff of sexual misconduct
And most consequentially accusing Chichi Daisy of prostitution and of having an affair with a politician referred to in court documents only as "Bowman"
Some posts were deleted the following day and replaced with new ones. By then, screenshots were already circulating beyond containment.
The Legal Response: Three Separate Fights
Within two weeks, Mutale Mwanza was facing legal action on three different fronts.
Front 1 - Chichi Daisy's Civil Demand
On November 17, 2024, through the law firm Muleza Mwiimbu and Company, Chichi Daisy's legal team issued a formal demand for K2 million in damages, a public retraction, and an apology, as first reported by News Diggers.
Front 2 - Chichi Daisy's Criminal Complaint
On November 11, 2024, Chichi Daisy filed a formal complaint at Zambia Police Headquarters. On November 21, 2024, police arrested Mutale Mwanza and charged her with harassment utilising means of electronic communication, contrary to Section 69 of the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act.
Per the National Prosecution Authority, conviction under Section 69 carries a fine of up to 500,000 penalty units, imprisonment for up to five years, or both.
Front 3 - Diamond TV's High Court Defamation Suit
On November 22, 2024 - one day after Mutale's arrest - Diamond TV (trading as Mobitel Limited) filed its own separate lawsuit in the Lusaka High Court, seeking damages for libel over the "fraudulent" and "scam" allegations against the POTYAS. News Diggers reported that Diamond TV wanted a declaration that the statements were libellous, damages for ridicule and mental anguish, an injunction restraining further statements, and an order to retract.
This third case is important for a reason we'll return to.
The Year of "No"
Between the arrest and the trial, Mutale Mwanza spent 2025 trying to make the whole thing go away out of court. According to family sources cited by the Zambian Observer, she reached out to Chichi Daisy through church leaders, family members, and lawyers. She apologised. She asked for forgiveness.
Chichi Daisy said no. And kept saying no.
Her position, through that entire year, was simple: let the courts handle it.
The Trial
December 1, 2025 - Mutale Mwanza appeared before Magistrate Mbuywana Sinvula at the Lusaka Magistrate's Court and pleaded not guilty. Trial was set for December 22.
February 6, 2026 - After multiple postponements, trial formally commenced. The prosecution called its first witness, 27-year-old Copperbelt University student Mwiya Nyambe, who told the court, per Lusaka Times, that he had come across the post while scrolling on Facebook and alerted Chichi Daisy by phone, at which point she sounded disturbed and instructed him to report the matter to police. Cross-examination raised issues with the device used to view the post an iPhone XR no longer in the witness's possession. Prosecution applied for an adjournment to prepare digital evidence.
March 13, 2026 - The turning point. Chichi Daisy's legal team wrote to the Director of Public Prosecutions, Gilbert Phiri, requesting withdrawal of the matter. Mutale Mwanza appeared in court, per Zambia Monitor, teary-eyed in a long floral red dress. The case was adjourned pending the DPP's instruction.
April 14, 2026 - The matter was held in chambers before Magistrate Sinvula and adjourned to April 20.
April 20, 2026: The Discontinuation
This morning, the Director of Public Prosecutions formally discontinued the cyber-harassment case against Mutale Mwanza.
Outside the courtroom, the moment now circulating across Zambian media played out, Mutale Mwanza in tears, repeating "I am so sorry, thank you." Chichi Daisy holding her, saying "it's ok."
What most coverage has glossed over is the reason Chichi Daisy gave in court for the withdrawal. Per ZNBC's Memory Bbuku, the complainant told the court she wished to withdraw the matter "citing her well-being as the reason for her decision."
That's different from forgiveness. It's a statement about what a year of court appearances does to the person who filed the complaint.
What's Actually Over - And What Isn't
The criminal case brought by Chichi Daisy is closed.
The civil defamation case brought by Diamond TV is not.
As of March 2025, Diamond TV had asked the Lusaka High Court to enter default judgement against Mutale Mwanza, citing her failure to enter an appearance or file a defence. That case targeting the "fraudulent" and "scam" allegations against the POTYAS themselves has not been publicly resolved.
So while today's headlines say Mutale Mwanza is a free woman, she is free only of the criminal charge from one complainant. The institutional defamation case at the High Court remains live.
What This Case Actually Means
Three observations most of today's coverage isn't making:
1. The Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act has teeth.
This is one of the highest-profile applications of Section 69 since the law came into force. For every Zambian content creator watching, the M-Nation's scale did not protect its founder from standing in the dock for seventeen months. The law does not care how many followers you have. A Zambian Observer commentary already framed the case as a cautionary tale for other Zambian influencers specifically warning Tianna to learn from it rather than repeat it.
2. The pattern matters more than the incident.
Mutale Mwanza was fired from Hot FM in February 2021 for conduct that the station's own CEO described in writing as behaviour that "literally amounts to cyber bullying." The Chichi Daisy posts were not a one-off lapse, they were a repeat of a pattern that had already cost her a major radio job nearly four years earlier. The difference the second time around was that the target was a private individual, not a corporate brand, and the consequence was a criminal charge rather than a termination letter.
3. Forgiveness is not the same as innocence.
Mutale Mwanza pleaded not guilty. The case was withdrawn before the court reached a verdict. She was not cleared, she was discharged because the complainant withdrew. There is a meaningful difference between "the case ended" and "she was found innocent," and the hug at the courthouse does not erase it.
The Cost
Public figures on legal fees are not available, but a year of active litigation with private counsel on both sides almost certainly ran into tens of thousands of kwacha possibly more. Add the parallel Diamond TV High Court case. Add reputational damage. Add seventeen months of court dates. Add the brand risk that will follow every future advertiser conversation.
The Facebook post went up on November 7, 2024. It took about four minutes to write.
The consequences took seventeen months to process and are still processing.
This article is based on court filings and reporting from the National Prosecution Authority, News Diggers, Lusaka Times, Mwebantu, Zambia Monitor, Zambian Digest, Zambian Observer, and ZNBC. Where specific allegations are referenced, they are attributed to the relevant primary source. Mutale Mwanza pleaded not guilty to the cyber-harassment charge and the matter was discontinued without a judicial finding on the merits.
SOURCES:
https://www.lusakatimes.com/2021/02/24/hot-fm-fires-mutale-mwanza/ - "literally amounts to cyber bullying."
https://www.zambiandigest.net/2024/11/17/chichi-daisy-goes-for-mutale-mwanza-demands-k2-million-for-defamation/ - "vulgar and unhinged Facebook rant"
https://www.mwebantu.com/chichi-daisy-asks-dpp-to-withdraw-the-mutale-mwanza-case/ - "Bowman"
https://diggers.news/local/2024/11/21/police-arrest-mutale-mwanza-for-harassing-chichi-daisy/ - "as first reported by News Diggers"
https://www.mwebantu.com/the-m-nation-has-fallen-as-mutale-mwanza-is-arrested-for-harassing-fellow-socialite/ - "police arrested Mutale Mwanza"
https://www.npa.gov.zm/index.php/2026/02/09/cyber-harassment-trial-underway-as-mutale-mwanza-faces-charges-in-lusaka-magistrates-court/ - "Per the National Prosecution Authority"
https://diggers.news/courts/2024/11/22/diamond-tv-sues-mutale-mwanza-for-defamation/ - "News Diggers reported that Diamond TV wanted"
https://zambianobserver.com/chichi-daisy-rejects-apology-as-mutale-mwanza-pleads-not-guilty/ - "family sources cited by the Zambian Observer"
https://diggers.news/courts/2025/12/02/mutale-mwanza-in-court-for-harassing-chichi-daisy/ - "pleaded not guilty"
https://www.lusakatimes.com/2026/02/07/mutale-mwanza-cyber-harassing-case-goes-to-trial/ - "per Lusaka Times"
https://www.zambiamonitor.com/emotional-moment-as-cyber-harassment-case-against-mutale-mwanza-faces-possible-withdrawal/ - "per Zambia Monitor"
https://diggers.news/courts/2026/04/14/court-adjourns-mutale-mwanzas-cyberbullying-case/ - "Was held in chambers before Magistrate Sinvula"
https://fb.watch/GBT43qMZiS/? - Per ZNBC's Memory Bbuku
https://diggers.news/courts/2025/03/06/diamond-tv-asks-court-to-enter-default-judgement-against-mutale-mwanza/ - Diamond TV had asked the Lusaka High Court
https://zambianobserver.com/free-advice-tianna-should-borrow-a-leaf-from-mutale-mwanzas-ordeal/ - "A Zambian Observer commentary"
