(MISA/IFEX) – On 8 March 2000, Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza of the High Court refused to confirm a provisional order which the court had granted the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) on 13 January. This order compelled the state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) to broadcast the NCA’s advertisements and programmes about the Constitutional Commission’s reforms. The NCA […]
(MISA/IFEX) – On 8 March 2000, Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza of the High Court refused to confirm a provisional order which the court had granted the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) on 13 January. This order compelled the state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) to broadcast the NCA’s advertisements and programmes about the Constitutional Commission’s reforms. The NCA was lobbying for a “no” vote against the government-sponsored Constitutional Commission’s proposed referendum on 12-13 February.
On 8 March, ZBC reminded Justice Gwaunza that the provisional order was granted by Justice Yunus Omerjee despite the fact that two days before the decision, on 6 January, ZBC filed papers opposing it. After the provisional order was granted, ZBC continued to refuse to air the NCA’s advertisements until a few days before the referendum.
According to the “Zimbabwe Independent” newspaper, on 10 March the NCA spent Z$1 million (about $US 26,281) to record programmes in the run-up to the referendum. The NCA task-force is currently seeking legal advice to recover funds paid to ZBC for pre-recorded television programmes which were never aired. The matter will be set for a hearing at a later date.
