ZMC chairperson Raymond Majonga told a local weekly last week that the commission is planning to ban all foreign publications
because they had allegedly failed to regularise their continued stay in the local market.
Majonga said his commission recently passed a resolution compelling all media houses in the country to register in line with the media laws of the country.
“Those that are not registered are going to face closure, while foreign publications that were coming into the country are required to have a representative office where complaints could be laid in the event that they cross their professional line of reportage.
“Most of the local publications complied and registered. But we are going to bar the foreign ones from coming into the country since they have refused to give heed and have let the seven days deadline we had given them expire before they could regularise their continued stay in the country,” he said.
He said his commission will also ask the police to confiscate the publications if they continue trickling into the country. The publisher, Wilf Mbanga, said he had received no formal communication from the ZMC and was unaware of the seven day deadline.
The Voluntary Media Council Director, Takura Zhangazha said the intended banning of The Zimbabwean and other foreign publications was illegal.
“That intended ban by ZMC violates section 20 of our constitution which guarantees the right to information and access to information. It also contravenes article 9 of the African Charter on human and people rights which clearly state that every individual has a right to receive information,” said Zhangazha.
Zhangazha said The Zimbabwean subscribed to the VMCZ and anyone who had a problem with the publication was free to approach the council for redress.
Post published in: News