Zacras is the umbrella body for community radio initiatives founded in 2003. Speaking at the community radio festival held recently, Mapimbiri said BAZ was failing communities that desperately needed radio services to address local information needs.
“BAZ should know that… it is the ordinary person in the community who bears the brunt (of BAZ’s failure to grant community radio licences) as he or she cannot afford to buy newspapers to access information that will help him or in decision-making,” said Mapimbiri.
The festival was hosted by Zacras and the Media Institute of Southern Africa on Saturday in Harare under the theme: A Decade of Waiting: Give the Communities a Voice.
Despite repeated calls by Zacras and civil society to give community radio licences to players who are willing to enter the field, BAZ has declared that it is currently unable to do so.
The reluctance by BAZ to license community radios is seen by many as reflecting a fear in Zanu (PF), which controls the information ministry, to empower grassroots communities through increased information flow – thereby further weakening Zanu (PF).
Mapimbiri expressed disappointment that the Global Political Agreement of 2008 and the Government of National Unity formed in 2009 had not effectively addressed awarding broadcasting licences to applicants, instead only giving two licences to two ‘partisan’ players.
“When the GPA was formed, there was a glimmer of hope that broadcasting reforms would be addressed but only two radio stations have controversially been awarded licences while dozens of community radio stations still wait in vain,” lamented Mapimbiri.
BAZ has given radio licences to Talk Radio, owned by the official Zimpapers media stable, and ABC, run by a Zanu (PF) sympathiser.
Zacras would continue to lobby the government to give its members licences, said Mapimbiri, who added that failure to do so was in contravention of regional and international charters such as the African Broadcasting Charter to which Zimbabwe is a signatory.
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-Zimbabwe) Chairman, Njabulo Ncube, said they would continue supporting community radio initiatives in order for people to make informed decisions.
He regretted the continued monopoly of broadcasting by the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.
Post published in: News