28th July 2025
Own Correspondent
Minister for State President, Moeti Caesar Mohwasa told parliament Monday that President Advocate Gideon Duma Boko has engaged M3 Media to take phoptographs for office of the President.
Despite the need for greater austerity measures with the Government Investment Account(GIA) depleted and Government struggling to raise funds to pay civil service salaries, it appears exorbitant amounts have been arbitrarily disbursed for this purpose.
The total amount spent on engaging the Presidentt’s personal photographers is P239,500.00 as service fees, and approximately P748,465.00 to cover accommodation and transportation (local and international).
It is a departure from the age old practice of using the Department of Information Services which has been responsible for archiving the activities of the Head of State since 1966, maintaining a dedicated office to maintain and protect the Presidential photo archives.
“This being the case, the engagement of photographers from the private sector is not to replace or diminish that capacity, but to complement it by enhancing the coverage and content quality of Presidential engagements,” said Mohwasa.
He said, “To ensure this, the company operates under clear protocols established in consultation with the Department in order to secure the transfer, classification, and documentation of Presidential images. The company is equipped with modern tools and technologies that support digital storage, and 2 seamless integration into government archival systems.”
Mohwasa alleged that all photographic assets generated by the team are accordingly handed over to the Department for curation, safekeeping, and future public reference.
Therefore, while the Department remains the custodian of the Presidential archives, the engagement of the photographers is meant to reinforce the Ministry’s ability to build a robust, accessible, and sound visual record of the Head of State’s activities.
