Speedy Media Reforms Part of Poll Roadmap

Wongai Zhangazha

28 April 2011

NEGOTIATORS from the Global Political Agreement (GPA) partners have agreed to speedily implement media reforms that will culminate in the registration of independent broadcast media players and the restructuring of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) before the next general election.

The reforms are meant to create a conducive environment for political players to have equal media coverage, especially in the public media, and also put an end to ZBC’s electronic media monopoly.

According to a draft roadmap finalised last week by the negotiators from Zanu PF and the two MDC formations, the three parties in the inclusive government agreed that there should be an appointment of a new ZBC board and the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (Baz), licensing of new broadcasters and establishment of the Media Council of Zimbabwe.

The negotiators also agreed that there should be an appointment of new trustees for the Mass Media Trust (MMT) and a cessation of external radio stations and broadcasting into the country by governments funding or hosting the stations. The roadmap encourages Zimbabweans running or working for external radio stations broadcasting into the country to return.

The negotiators also called for an end to hate speech by directing “the state media to support all agreed government programmes and put a stop to attacks against ministers implementing such programmes”.

The ZBC board is currently chaired by Zimbabwe Football Association president Cuthbert Dube. The national broadcaster is under fire from mainly MDC formations and the public for biased reportage in favour of President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party. The parties and the public want ZBC to be apolitical and fulfil its mandate as public broadcaster.

Tafataona Mahoso, the chief executive officer of the Zimbabwe Media Commission, chairs the Baz board, which had failed to liberalise the airwaves and license new electronic media players since its appointment over two years ago.

MDC formations opposed the appointment of the Mahoso board arguing that they were not consulted and that it was packed with pro-Mugabe and Zanu PF sympathisers.

The new trustees of the MMT would be expected to take control of the Zimpapers Group, which over the years had become an extension of the Ministry of Information, Media and Publicity. Zimpapers, like ZBC, has been accused of biased reporting in support of Mugabe and Zanu PF.

Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) welcomed the proposed reforms, adding it was time the principals of the GPA and the negotiators “walk the talk” in as far as media reforms were concerned.

Misa director Nhlanhla Ngwenya said although they recognised the efforts made by negotiators to agree to media reforms, it was too early to celebrate.

“What is important is that we urge them to walk the talk. We have heard about this before. We recognise that what they agreed to is simply a reaffirmation on what they agreed to at the Sadc summit in August 2010 in Windhoek,” said Ngwenya.

Last year, Sadc gave the GPA principals a 30 day deadline to fully implement the 24 outstanding GPA issues, but that deadline was subsequently ignored.

Ngwenya said: “We can only hope now that Sadc feels quite eager to bring sanity, it will push for the implementation of the media reforms. We can only celebrate after seeing full implementation of this; otherwise these agreements will leave room for another deadlock.”

Another media analyst who requested anonymity said the roadmap was not going to bring any immediate results due to lack of commitment by the three political parties.

The analyst said: “The fact that there is a roadmap toward elections means that all of the reforms that they included in this roadmap are to a greater extent about electoral issues and competition. In fact, the issues concerning ZBC and the Media Council are reminiscent of Article 19 of the GPA which was seemingly progressive on paper but it has taken almost two and a half years for there to be reform in the print media.

“For all its promises, the roadmap will not yield immediate results. This is because the parties will bicker over composition of the Baz and ZBC boards. By the time they are through with that, the elections might be around the corner and even if a new broadcaster was to be licensed, it does not mean the broadcaster will start operating the same day.”

The analyst said politicians were not principally committed to media reforms but were only vocal because they seek to utilise the media for their political gain in the next elections.

AllAfrica – All the Time