(MISA/IFEX) – On 3 July 2001, “The Herald” reported that the National Development Association (NDA) has threatened to sue the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) for terminating its live television programme Talk to the Nation. The newspaper reports that NDA’s lawyers, Dube Manikai & Hwacha, wrote a letter to ZBC stating that the programme’s cancellation was […]
(MISA/IFEX) – On 3 July 2001, “The Herald” reported that the National Development Association (NDA) has threatened to sue the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) for terminating its live television programme Talk to the Nation.
The newspaper reports that NDA’s lawyers, Dube Manikai & Hwacha, wrote a letter to ZBC stating that the programme’s cancellation was a unilateral action taken by ZBC.
In the 7 June letter, the lawyers state that “our client believes that there are no justifiable grounds for cancelling the programme.” “We are therefore instructed to demand, as we hereby do, that the Talk to the Nation TV programme be reinstated with immediate effect, in line with the agreement between NDA and ZBC.”
“Should the ZBC fail to comply with the demands of the letter within 7 days of the date of this letter, we are instructed to institute proceedings on behalf of NDA for the reinstatement of the programme without further warning or reference to you.”
The ZBC withdrew the programme on 5 June on the grounds of a restructuring exercise. It was said that the programme failed to meet the set criteria.
The Department of Information and Publicity, which is responsible for formulating policies for the ZBC, dismissed the threat.
“It’s much ado about nothing, although rather curiously smacks of desperation and we can only wonder why. Otherwise they have their rights and we have our responsibilities,” said a department spokesperson.
“The Herald” also reports that files between the NDA and ZBC show that there was no contract between the parties. It was rather mere correspondence in which ZBC retained editorial control.
“In fact, it was a ZBC programme and NDA was sponsoring it,” said the spokesperson.
