Music and soccer have become the latest battlefronts, with talented musicians forced to sing praises of Mugabe while footballers play in tournaments named after him. But the latest deployment of Chinese-made jamming has forced even the VOA to acknowledge routinely in its Zimbabwe broadcasts that the waves are jammed.
An announcer is now regularly heard to say: “This is Studio 7 for Zimbabwe broadcasting on 909 AM, but due to jamming your best reception would be on Shortwave…” Zanu (PF) made external broadcasts a major issue during the negotiations for a settlement in 2008, demanding that they be banned.
Recently, the controversially-appointed Broadcasting Authority announced it was ready to take applications, which would be a first step for the so-called pirates to come home. None of the big players have taken up the offer, citing continued insecurity in the country and the sheer economics of setting up independent broadcasting in a collapsing economy.
Surprisingly, Zanu (PF) officials are clamouring to be heard on the Voice of America Studio 7, which is virtually banned in Zimbabwe by Mugabe’s government. Recently, senior Zanu (PF) and pro-Mugabe officials Rugare Gumbo, Joram Gumbo, Mines Minister Obert Mpofu and Attorney General Johannes Tomana have freely given interviews to the ‘pirates’.
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