News / Local
Jonathan Moyo criticizes Zimbabwe's new ZBC licence fee law
31 May 2025 at 14:07hrs | Views
Former Information Minister Jonathan Moyo, once a key architect of Zimbabwe's stringent media laws, has publicly condemned the recently enacted legislation mandating motorists to pay a Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) licence fee before obtaining their road authority and insurance fees. Moyo described the law as out of step with modern technological realities and fundamentally discriminatory.
The controversial amendment to the Broadcasting Services Act (BSA), signed into law earlier this week, has triggered widespread backlash across Zimbabwe. Clause 15, which requires motorists to pay the ZBC licence fee as a precondition for purchasing the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) vehicle licence and insurance, has particularly drawn sharp criticism from citizens and legal experts alike.
Moyo, who fled Zimbabwe in 2017 amid the military coup that toppled former President Robert Mugabe and propelled Emmerson Mnangagwa to power, has re-entered public debate on the issue after a period of relative silence. His previous caution in openly criticizing Mnangagwa's administration, especially on platforms such as X and in international media, has now given way to a pointed critique.
"Basically, the revolution in digital technologies has outdated car radio licences, which is why they have been vacated worldwide," Moyo wrote on X last Friday, underscoring that the imposition of a car radio licence fee is an anachronism in the digital age.
He urged the Mnangagwa government to reconsider the legislation, highlighting that the outdated 2001 car radio fee law remains an "unnecessary, inconvenient, now unreasonable, and unfair tax burden."
"The Second Republic had, and still has, an opportunity to repeal the 2001 car radio fee as an outdated tax," Moyo added.
Reflecting on the broader challenges of broadcasting licence fees in today's rapidly evolving technological and social landscape, Moyo stressed the need to rethink the fee structure. "The challenge for a broadcasting licence fee nowadays is how to structure it, perhaps as a tax, taking into account the rapid and massive technological and social transformation taking place," he said.
Moyo concluded by calling on the government to "hit the brakes" on implementing the law, advocating for a comprehensive review and modernization of the broadcasting licence framework through a "digital lens."
"It would be in both the public and national interest to pause the implementation of the car radio licence in order not only to rethink it; but to also review the very idea of a radio and television licence in a digital world; with a view to coming up with a more suitable and modernised, user-friendly, alternative model of a single and comprehensive broadcasting licence fee model," he urged.
The new law's implementation has already sparked public protests and legal challenges, with many Zimbabweans decrying it as discriminatory and out of touch with the realities of digital media consumption in the 21st century. Observers say Moyo's intervention could add further pressure on the government to revisit the legislation.
The controversial amendment to the Broadcasting Services Act (BSA), signed into law earlier this week, has triggered widespread backlash across Zimbabwe. Clause 15, which requires motorists to pay the ZBC licence fee as a precondition for purchasing the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) vehicle licence and insurance, has particularly drawn sharp criticism from citizens and legal experts alike.
Moyo, who fled Zimbabwe in 2017 amid the military coup that toppled former President Robert Mugabe and propelled Emmerson Mnangagwa to power, has re-entered public debate on the issue after a period of relative silence. His previous caution in openly criticizing Mnangagwa's administration, especially on platforms such as X and in international media, has now given way to a pointed critique.
"Basically, the revolution in digital technologies has outdated car radio licences, which is why they have been vacated worldwide," Moyo wrote on X last Friday, underscoring that the imposition of a car radio licence fee is an anachronism in the digital age.
He urged the Mnangagwa government to reconsider the legislation, highlighting that the outdated 2001 car radio fee law remains an "unnecessary, inconvenient, now unreasonable, and unfair tax burden."
"The Second Republic had, and still has, an opportunity to repeal the 2001 car radio fee as an outdated tax," Moyo added.
Reflecting on the broader challenges of broadcasting licence fees in today's rapidly evolving technological and social landscape, Moyo stressed the need to rethink the fee structure. "The challenge for a broadcasting licence fee nowadays is how to structure it, perhaps as a tax, taking into account the rapid and massive technological and social transformation taking place," he said.
Moyo concluded by calling on the government to "hit the brakes" on implementing the law, advocating for a comprehensive review and modernization of the broadcasting licence framework through a "digital lens."
"It would be in both the public and national interest to pause the implementation of the car radio licence in order not only to rethink it; but to also review the very idea of a radio and television licence in a digital world; with a view to coming up with a more suitable and modernised, user-friendly, alternative model of a single and comprehensive broadcasting licence fee model," he urged.
The new law's implementation has already sparked public protests and legal challenges, with many Zimbabweans decrying it as discriminatory and out of touch with the realities of digital media consumption in the 21st century. Observers say Moyo's intervention could add further pressure on the government to revisit the legislation.
Source - NewZimbabwe
