(MISA/IFEX) – On 16 November 2000, the High Court ordered Zimbabwe police to return Capital Radio’s equipment, excluding the transmitter, which were seized from Capital Radio on 6 October, after the station went on air without a government allocated frequency. Under the new regulations, it is illegal to possess a transmitter without a broadcasting licence. […]
(MISA/IFEX) – On 16 November 2000, the High Court ordered Zimbabwe police to return Capital Radio’s equipment, excluding the transmitter, which were seized from Capital Radio on 6 October, after the station went on air without a government allocated frequency. Under the new regulations,
it is illegal to possess a transmitter without a broadcasting licence.
Capital Radio’s lawyer, Anthony Brooks, confirmed to “The Daily News” that the station’s equipment had been returned as a result of the court order granted by the consent of both parties.
Background Information
On the night of 4 October, police raided the studios of private broadcaster Capitol Radio at Harare’s Monomotapa Hotel. Capital Radio had been broadcasting since 28 September in the absence of any broadcasting regulatory framework and following a Supreme Court 22 September ruling which nullified the state’s broadcasting monopoly.
The raid was conducted despite Capitol Radio’s interdict barring the police from confiscating the station’s equipment until 4:30p.m. (local time) on 5 October. On 4 October, following an application by the radio, the High Court, among others, ordered the police to return the station’s confiscated equipment. The police did this on 6 October, but then immediately re-seized the equipment in terms of new and hastily enacted broadcasting regulations.
