Zimbabwe broadcasters must cover local, African sport

The Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill ignited significant debate in the National Assembly before its passage on Tuesday, particularly over its provision requiring motorists to obtain a Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) radio licence before acquiring their vehicle licence and insurance.

The proposed legislation also mandates that broadcasters cover local and African sporting events, with specific coverage thresholds to be determined through regulations.

Initially, Clause 21 of the Bill stipulated that sporting channels dedicate 50 percent of their content to local and African programming. However, following deliberations, Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr. Jenfan Muswere amended the clause after input from legislators.

Dzivarasekwa representative Mr. Edwin Mushoriwa argued that enshrining minimum content thresholds in the law could be cumbersome, as any adjustments would require parliamentary amendments. Instead, he proposed that the determination of the number of channels or percentage of content be left to the Minister's discretion through regulations.

"So, my thinking is, can we remove this one and then we add to say that the number of channels or the percentage of content shall be determined by the Honourable Minister through regulations from time to time? Having a piece of legislation to just do that may create a problem. Maybe, at a time, you will then realise that no, you need 80 percent or 70 percent - naturally without the need of you coming back to this august House to amend, that is my proposal," said Mr. Mushoriwa.

Dr. Muswere endorsed the suggestion, agreeing to revise the clause to allow for more flexible regulatory powers regarding local and African content. Zanu PF Chief Whip Pupurai Togarepi suggested an alternative phrasing: "That the Minister may, by regulation, prescribe the percentum of local and African content for sport channels."

Dr. Muswere also defended the provision requiring subscription-based broadcasters to carry three ZBC channels, responding to concerns that it might deter investment. He argued that the requirement aligns with international standards.

"It is a standard procedure internationally that if you are a subscription-based licence operator, you must carry three national broadcaster channels. In Zimbabwe, we have one, and we are trying to come up with two more. We want this law to help us ensure that all those that we may license carry two more. We want to add ZBC 2 and 3. This is based on heritage broadcast. We want our content to spread internationally and cater for the 16 languages. There is nothing new as this is international practice," said Dr. Muswere.

As the Bill moves forward, the discussions underscore the delicate balance between regulatory oversight and the need for flexibility in content requirements to adapt to the evolving broadcasting landscape.