Zambia's Minister of Higher Education Michael Kaingu has called on the Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) to immediately launch investigations into the alleged illegal tapping and recording of mobile phone conversations.

Kaingu said ministers and civil servants in the Southern African country were no longer safe using their mobile phones and are wary of using certain applications on mobile phones, such as WhatsApp.

Kaingu's call follows the publication of several WhatsApp and recorded conversations involving ministers and senior government officials by local media.

The minister of Broadcasting and Information Services Chishimba Kambwili is the latest senior government official to have a private conversation with a District Commissioner recorded and uploaded on the internet.

"Tapping of citizens' phones and listening to their private conversations is a gross violation of the right to privacy which is a constitutional right. We call upon state installations such as ZICTA to immediately investigate the matter as it is criminal," Kaingu said.

However ZICTA has responded saying it does not have the technology required to counter the illegal tapping of phone conversations and chats.

ZICTA public relations manager Ngabo Nankonde said that in accordance with procedure, the regulator is still waiting to receive complaints from the police before launching investigations.