News / National
MISA Zimbabwe condemns new radio licence allocation as partisan
04 Mar 2015 at 07:09hrs | Views
The Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) has granted radio licences to eight companies but the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Zimbabwe) has dismissed the move as an entrenchment of the state media empire.
Tafataona Mahoso, the BAZ chairman, said in a statement that the radio stations would start operating soon.
BAZ had invited applications for local commercial radio licences in 25 signal zones but received 21 applications for nine areas, according to Mahoso.
Eighteen applicants were shortlisted and five failed to pay the statutory public inquiry fees while one applicant withdrew from the licensing process.
All in all, 12 applicants were interviewed for the granting of the broadcasting licences, said Mahoso.
The applicants that got the licences include Zimpapers' Diamond FM, AB Communications' Gogogoi FM and FAYA FM that will be broadcasting in Masvingo and Gweru.
Fairtalk Communications' two stations , Breeze FM and Skyz Metro FM will be broadcasting in Victoria Falls and Bulawayo, respectively.
Ray of Hope's YA FM will broadcast from Zvishavane while Kingstons' two radio stations KE100.4 FM and Nyaminyami FM, will be do so in Harare and Kariba.
Nhlanhla Ngwenya, the MISA director, said the allocation of the licences showed the Zanu-PF government's growing strategy to create a media monopoly, as most the of the beneficiaries are directly or indirectly linked to the ruling party.
"This is a non-event as it is an attempt to eclipse private players under the guise of freeing the airwaves. The state already has a monopoly of the airwaves through ZBC and a close analysis of the new licence allocation indicates that government will directly or indirectly have a bigger share," Ngwenya told The Zimbabwean.
Two of the major beneficiaries, Zimpapers and Kingstons, are subsidiaries of the Mass Media Trust which is dominated by government through 51 percent public shareholding, said Ngwenya.
Zimpapers was in 2012 given a licence to operate Star FM, which has struggled to break even since then.
AB Communications is said to be owned through a trust belonging to Supa Mandiwanzira's family.
Mandiwanzira is the ICT minister and a Zanu-PF MP and was also gifted a licence to run ZiFM in 2012.
He reportedly fronted for the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) before being appointed deputy information minister and was involved in the spook agency's purchase of a printing press from former publisher, Ibbo Mandaza.
Ray of Hope is believed to be owned by Munyaradzi Hwengwere and Makhosini Hlongwane, who also applied for radio licences.
Hlongwane is a Zanu-PF MP while Hwengere is said to be closely linked to information minister, Jonathan Moyo.
Nhlanhla said they were investigating if the two actually owned Ray of Hope, saying BAZ was evasive with information regarding that.
AMH, one of the leading publishing houses, had applied for a licence in Harare but did not get one.
"There are many potential broadcasters who would have wanted to apply for licences but they tend to be discouraged from doing so by the brazen partisanship the government has displayed," said Ngwenya.
Tafataona Mahoso, the BAZ chairman, said in a statement that the radio stations would start operating soon.
BAZ had invited applications for local commercial radio licences in 25 signal zones but received 21 applications for nine areas, according to Mahoso.
Eighteen applicants were shortlisted and five failed to pay the statutory public inquiry fees while one applicant withdrew from the licensing process.
All in all, 12 applicants were interviewed for the granting of the broadcasting licences, said Mahoso.
The applicants that got the licences include Zimpapers' Diamond FM, AB Communications' Gogogoi FM and FAYA FM that will be broadcasting in Masvingo and Gweru.
Fairtalk Communications' two stations , Breeze FM and Skyz Metro FM will be broadcasting in Victoria Falls and Bulawayo, respectively.
Ray of Hope's YA FM will broadcast from Zvishavane while Kingstons' two radio stations KE100.4 FM and Nyaminyami FM, will be do so in Harare and Kariba.
Nhlanhla Ngwenya, the MISA director, said the allocation of the licences showed the Zanu-PF government's growing strategy to create a media monopoly, as most the of the beneficiaries are directly or indirectly linked to the ruling party.
"This is a non-event as it is an attempt to eclipse private players under the guise of freeing the airwaves. The state already has a monopoly of the airwaves through ZBC and a close analysis of the new licence allocation indicates that government will directly or indirectly have a bigger share," Ngwenya told The Zimbabwean.
Two of the major beneficiaries, Zimpapers and Kingstons, are subsidiaries of the Mass Media Trust which is dominated by government through 51 percent public shareholding, said Ngwenya.
Zimpapers was in 2012 given a licence to operate Star FM, which has struggled to break even since then.
AB Communications is said to be owned through a trust belonging to Supa Mandiwanzira's family.
Mandiwanzira is the ICT minister and a Zanu-PF MP and was also gifted a licence to run ZiFM in 2012.
He reportedly fronted for the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) before being appointed deputy information minister and was involved in the spook agency's purchase of a printing press from former publisher, Ibbo Mandaza.
Ray of Hope is believed to be owned by Munyaradzi Hwengwere and Makhosini Hlongwane, who also applied for radio licences.
Hlongwane is a Zanu-PF MP while Hwengere is said to be closely linked to information minister, Jonathan Moyo.
Nhlanhla said they were investigating if the two actually owned Ray of Hope, saying BAZ was evasive with information regarding that.
AMH, one of the leading publishing houses, had applied for a licence in Harare but did not get one.
"There are many potential broadcasters who would have wanted to apply for licences but they tend to be discouraged from doing so by the brazen partisanship the government has displayed," said Ngwenya.
Source - zimbabwean
