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Zimbabwesituation.com - Zimbabwe - End to repressive media laws on the agenda for JOMIC
12th February 2009
HARARE - The media sub-committee of the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC) wants to meet with the new information minister next week, to start work on the deregulation of draconian media laws.

 

The new minister will be appointed from Zanu (PF), which has controlled the media with an iron fist since independence almost 29 years ago. Many observers are concerned that with the regime still in control of such an important ministry, it will be extremely difficult to enforce changes.

But the global political agreement, signed by all parties to the inclusive government, called for the country's tough media laws to be changed and to allow private radio, television and daily newspapers to operate under a unity government.

JOMIC is a special multi-party taskforce charged with supervising the implementation of the inclusive government. This includes working to ensure the immediate processing by the appropriate authorities of all applications for re-registration and registration, in terms of both the Broadcasting Services Act as well as the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Frank Chamunorwa, a senior member of the MDC (Mutambara), who sits on the JOMIC media sub-committee, said time was of the essence to ensure that the inclusive government took appropriate measures to achieve these
objectives as quickly as possible. Other members of the sub-committee are Tabitha Khumalo, an MDC (Tsvangirai) MP in Bulawayo, and Oppah Muchinguri, a former Zanu (PF) MP in Manicaland.
"We are just waiting for the minister to be sworn in on Friday and we are hopeful by early next week we will be knocking on his door to introduce ourselves," Chamunorwa said.

Although Zimbabwe became independent in 1980 its constitutional claims of being a democracy have been dented by the regime's failure to facilitate the licensing of private media players, including radio and television
stations.

In 2000, Capital Radio won the right in the Supreme Court to open the country's first independent radio station. But this was shut down at gunpoint after just six days.

In response to this legal challenge to its broadcasting monopoly, the regime enacted the Broadcasting Services Act (BSA), which brought about the establishment of the regulatory board, the Broadcasting Authority of
Zimbabwe (BAZ), which has not licesed a single private station.

The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation remains the sole broadcaster in the country, despite calls from all sectors of the media to free the airwaves.

The country still lags behind most of its neighbours. South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi and Botswana opened up their airwaves long ago and have witnessed huge strides in the broadcasting industry.
Chamunorwa said: "We want this whole thing expedited so that interested parties can be encouraged to make applications for broadcasting licences in terms of the law. Three months from now, we would be in better
position to know when new independent players can start operating in the country."

According to Chamunorwa, the committee has demanded that public media, as well as the independent weekly papers, refrain from using abusive language that may incite hostility, political intolerance and ethnic hatred
or that unfairly undermines political parties and other organisations.During a meeting with representatives of media houses on Friday, JOMIC chairperson for February Professor Welshman Ncube said the media had an
important role to play in reducing the political tension that has gripped the country over the past 10 years.
Ncube urged the media, both public and private, to assist in promoting national healing as the country moves to form an inclusive government on Friday.

The chairperson for JOMIC rotates on a monthly basis. - SW Radio
Africa

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