Parliament hold public interviews of commissioner

The Parliament of Zimbabwe hosted public interviews to appoint commissioners for the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) on Wednesday the third of June 2015, the Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ) reported.

MMPZ said the ZMC is one of the 5 "Independent Commissions Supporting Democracy" as set out in Chapter 12 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

"Of the 24 prospective candidates interviewed, 16 were men and eight were women," reported MMPZ. "Procedurally, the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders must, following these interviews: Prepare a list of the appropriate number of nominees for appointment, (no fewer than and submit the list to the President who will appoint 8 members of the Commission, the President will appoint the Chairperson of the Commission after Consultation with the Parliamentary Committee on Standing Rules and Orders."

MMPZ said the functions of the ZMC Section 249 of the Constitution sets out the functions of the Commission to:  Uphold, promote and develop freedom of the media , to promote and enforce good practices and ethics in the media, to monitor broadcasting in the public interest and, in particular, to ensure fairness and diversity of views broadly representing Zimbabwean society, to encourage the formulation of codes of conduct for persons employed in the, media and, where no such code exists, to formulate and enforce one, to receive and consider complaints from the public and, where appropriate to take action against journalists and other persons employed by the media or broadcasting who are found to have breached any law or any code of conduct applicable to them,  to ensure that the people of Zimbabwe have fair and wide access to information, to encourage the use and development of all the officially recognised languages of Zimbabwe, to encourage the adoption of new technology in the media and in the dissemination of information, to promote fair competition and diversity in the media, to conduct research into issues relating to freedom of the press and of expression, and in that regard to promote reforms in the law, Conduct investigations and inquiries into any conduct that threatens freedom of the media and as well as investigate and inquire into the conduct of the media and to take or recommend disciplinary action against media practitioners who are found to have breached any law or code of conduct applicable to them.

MMPZ said the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), gives the ZMC the authority to license print media outlets and accredit journalists who operate in Zimbabwe.

"Profiles of the 24 candidates interviewed for the Commission Section 248 (2) of the Constitution sets out the key competencies for commissioners of the ZMC. It states that members of ZMC must be chosen for their integrity, competence in administration and their knowledge and understanding of human rights issues and best practices in media matters," said MMPZ. "Below are the profiles of the 24 candidates, Geoffrey Chada (PhD) Board member - Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ), Former Chief Executive Officer - Zimbabwe Mass Media Trust (ZMMT), Executive Director Technical - Scientific and Industrial Research and

Development Centre (SIRDC) executive director technical, Martin Chari Retired Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Senior Assistant Commissioner (Officer

Commanding Traffic), Heather Chingono (PhD), PhD Laws International Relations, Lecturer - University of Zimbabwe (UZ) Department of Political and

Administrative studies.Tsitsi Dangarembga, Author and Filmmaker, Wrote Nervous conditions and the script for Neria, Directed the film Everyone's Child, Director of Institute of Creative Arts for Progress in Africa Trust (ICAPA), and Founder and Former director of the Women's Film Festival.