For the record, we hold no grudge against Mr Mahoso or is it Comrade Mahoso. But Mahoso, the chairman of the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ), has never stood, nor will he ever stand, for media freedom.
This is part of the reason why the Supreme Court in 2005 declared Mahoso and the then Media and Information Commission too biased and unfit to adjudicate over the then banned Daily News application for a licence. A special tribunal had to be appointed to hear the application.
The advert last week by Mahoso and his BAZ – who, by the way, were unilaterally appointed by Zanu (PF) in contravention of the GPA calling for applications for two commercial radio licences only serves to confirm the wisdom of that Supreme Court ruling six years ago.
The man dubbed the media hangman because of his unstinting efforts to help Zanu (PF) persecute independent journalists and decimate Zimbabwes privately owned newspapers is simply ill-suited to play midwife to genuine broadcast media reforms.
According to the BAZ advert, the two licences will be valid for 10 years and the stations will be required to pay an annual fee of $15 000 while also being required to surrender to BAZ one percent of their gross annual turnover. What an obscene distortion of the whole idea of a free electronic media!
Clearly Mahoso does not get it that what Zimbabweans want are not these piecemeal reforms he is offering us but total liberation of the airwaves as is the case in other civilized societies, for example our neighbour South Africa.
And who told Mahoso that Zimbabwe needs only two more broadcasters? Why not let the market determine the number of stations it can sustain?
Again, given the huge amount of financial and other resources required to set up a free-to-air national commercial radio broadcasting service which investor, other than those brave to the point of lunacy, would want to pour that kind of money into a project with a guaranteed lifespan of only10 years?
And why should the stations on top of paying the usual corporate and other taxes be compelled to surrender one percent of annual gross turnover to Mahosos board? Where else in the world has Mahoso seen this kind of business or investment model?
Is the Media Hangman serious or what silly prank is he trying to play on us?
We hope that our suspicions are not true that all this mumbo-jumbo about broadcasting licences is yet another ploy by Zanu (PF) Mahosos ultimate masters to hoodwink SADC that they are fulfilling the requirements of the GPA – while in reality they are doing the opposite.
But whatever the motive, Mahosos licence offer gives ample illustration of the Lords teaching: you cannot not put new wine into old wineskins.
Post published in: Editor: Wilf Mbanga