After banning radios, Zimbabwe government wants crackdown on pirate radio stations
Published: 2013 February 28 07:39:35 (4008 Views)
The Chinese government has handed over the new High Definition OB Van and satellite uplink to the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.
Zimbabwe Media, Information and Publicity Minister Webster Shamu says the ZBC has a mandate to ensure that Zimbabweans are given correct information.
He says they should promote unity at a time the country’s airwaves have been invaded by pirate stations which attempt to sow seeds of disunity.
Minister Shamu said the last few years have seen an increase in the number of pirate radio stations.
He said pirate radio stations are peddling lies about the country sowing seeds of hatred and disunity, adding that ZBC has to be equipped to effectively play its role of telling the true Zimbabwean story.
This comes after Zimbabwe police banned shortwave radios ahead of July elections.
A lot of the radios were distributed by NGOs.
The ban has been criticised and seen as a way of preventing opposition messages from getting out
Many in Zimbabwe rely on shortwave radios to tune into independent broadcasts mainly produced by exiled Zimbabwean journalists based in Europe and the US.
Zimbabwe police said they are being used to communicate hate speech ahead of next month's constitutional referendum and elections set to be held in July.
Zimbabwe has four state-controlled radio stations with a history of supporting President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party.
Two recently established independent stations are also perceived to be pro-Zanu-PF.
There is demand among listeners, especially those supportive of the rival Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), for other viewpoints.
In the last elections, in 2008, many rural constituencies with access to independent broadcasts voted for the MDC formations led by Professor Welshman Ncube and prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
The Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (Maz) – a group comprising the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, the Zimbabwe National Editors Forum, the Federation of African Media Women of Zimbabwe and other groups advocating freedom of expression – has condemned the ban on radios.
Maz said: "Owning and distributing radio receivers is not illegal, and confiscating them is a gross violation of citizens' rights to receive and impart ideas and information without interference, as enshrined in section 20 of the constitution."
Urging the police to reverse the ban, Maz pointed out that it would deprive people of an important source of information ahead of two critical national events.
In recent weeks, police have been conducting a crackdown on NGOs and human rights groups, raiding offices, confiscating files and arresting employees.
- ZBC/Guardian
Zimbabwe Media, Information and Publicity Minister Webster Shamu says the ZBC has a mandate to ensure that Zimbabweans are given correct information.
He says they should promote unity at a time the country’s airwaves have been invaded by pirate stations which attempt to sow seeds of disunity.
Minister Shamu said the last few years have seen an increase in the number of pirate radio stations.
He said pirate radio stations are peddling lies about the country sowing seeds of hatred and disunity, adding that ZBC has to be equipped to effectively play its role of telling the true Zimbabwean story.
This comes after Zimbabwe police banned shortwave radios ahead of July elections.
A lot of the radios were distributed by NGOs.
The ban has been criticised and seen as a way of preventing opposition messages from getting out
Many in Zimbabwe rely on shortwave radios to tune into independent broadcasts mainly produced by exiled Zimbabwean journalists based in Europe and the US.
Zimbabwe police said they are being used to communicate hate speech ahead of next month's constitutional referendum and elections set to be held in July.
Zimbabwe has four state-controlled radio stations with a history of supporting President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party.
Two recently established independent stations are also perceived to be pro-Zanu-PF.
There is demand among listeners, especially those supportive of the rival Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), for other viewpoints.
In the last elections, in 2008, many rural constituencies with access to independent broadcasts voted for the MDC formations led by Professor Welshman Ncube and prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
The Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (Maz) – a group comprising the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, the Zimbabwe National Editors Forum, the Federation of African Media Women of Zimbabwe and other groups advocating freedom of expression – has condemned the ban on radios.
Maz said: "Owning and distributing radio receivers is not illegal, and confiscating them is a gross violation of citizens' rights to receive and impart ideas and information without interference, as enshrined in section 20 of the constitution."
Urging the police to reverse the ban, Maz pointed out that it would deprive people of an important source of information ahead of two critical national events.
In recent weeks, police have been conducting a crackdown on NGOs and human rights groups, raiding offices, confiscating files and arresting employees.
- ZBC/Guardian
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