(MISA/IFEX) – The Department of Information and Publicity in the President’s Office has gazetted the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Commercialisation Bill, 2001. The bill seeks to split the public broadcaster into two companies and also commercialise operations. According to Minister of Information Jonathan Moyo, the bill would make the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) a profitable entity that […]
(MISA/IFEX) – The Department of Information and Publicity in the President’s Office has gazetted the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Commercialisation Bill, 2001. The bill seeks to split the public broadcaster into two companies and also commercialise operations.
According to Minister of Information Jonathan Moyo, the bill would make the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) a profitable entity that would not depend on government subsidies. The ZBC is to be split into two companies. The first will concentrate on providing radio and television broadcasting services. The other company will concentrate on providing signal carrier services, allegedly to allow broadcasters to have an efficient signal transmission service without prejudicing national security. The minister of state will nominate the two companies’ directors and board members.
Clause 6 of the bill provides that the minister will specify which of the corporation’s assets and liabilities should be transferred to the two companies and the date on which they should be transferred. The two companies will be automatically licensed in terms of the Broadcasting Services Act 2001.
Meanwhile, the 9 November edition of the “Zimbabwe Independent” reported that the bill would be tabled in parliament on 20 November, and is expected to be passed into law before parliament breaks for Christmas holidays. Although Moyo has made it clear that the government would not relinquish its control of the public broadcaster, it remains unclear how the new structure fits with the Broadcasting Services Act 2001. The role of the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe, the licence issuing authority, is also unclear.
Although the two companies would be licenced automatically, as yet, no private broadcasting station is licenced in Zimbabwe, seven months after the enactment of the Broadcasting Services Act. The creation of a signal carrier company, purportedly to safeguard national security, is widely seen as a way of controlling private broadcasters who might be licenced. This means that even if a private broadcaster were to be given a licence, the signal Carrier Company might decline to offer services, rendering that broadcaster redundant.
Background Information
The ZBC remains the country’s sole broadcaster, even though a new Broadcasting Act, which paved the way for the entry of private players, was passed in April (see IFEX alerts of 10, 9, 6 and 5 April, 28, 19 and 12 March and 21 February 2001, 26, 19, 12 and 5 October, 28, 25 and 20 September 2000). The Zimbabwean government has not implemented the act, leading many to conclude that the authorities do not have the political will to open the airwaves.
The signal company that would be formed from a split ZBC is seen as a means for the government to choose who gets a licence. No individual, organisations or companies would be allowed to own signal carrier transmitters, leaving the signal company with a monopoly.
