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Subversion of the Media and Information Commission (MIC)
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ)
Extracted from Weekly Media Update 2005-45
Monday November 21^st 2005 – Monday November 27^th 2005

CLAIMS in the Press that the Central Intelligence Organization (CIO) forced the government-controlled Media and Information Commission to overturn its decision to grant the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ), publishers of The Daily News, an operating licence, reinforces the belief that the MIC has been thoroughly subverted and should be disbanded.

According to The Financial Gazette (December 1, 2005), former MIC commissioner, Jonathan Maphenduka, stated in a High Court affidavit that the MIC "agreed that there was no legal basis to deny the ANZ a licence," at its June 16^th meeting. According to Maphenduka’s testimony however, the Commission reversed its decision at a later meeting after board chairman Tafataona Mahoso "stalled" over making its original decision public. The paper said "impeccable sources" had claimed that this had happened because the CIO had "vetoed" The Daily News’ registration. Maphenduka also claimed he was never furnished with the minutes of the original meeting and that their content remains shrouded in mystery.

If these claims are established as fact, it will also establish beyond reasonable doubt that the MIC and its chairman are mere biased appendages of government under state security control whose purpose is to gag the independent media, and particularly The Daily News. Such a situation demonstrates the government’s total intolerance to free expression and the extent to which it controls the flow of information to the public. The MIC and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act that created it are clearly the instruments of a police state, put in place to silence all democratic expression.

Meanwhile, the soaring cost of the few remaining media products in the country has also turned access to information into a privilege for the few who can still afford them.

Since January both the private and government Press have increased their prices more than five-fold. For example, while it cost less than $100 000 a week to buy the mainstream papers in a week, it now costs at least $530 000, a figure well beyond the reach of most Zimbabweans.

To make matters worse, two weeks ago, ZTV (18/11, 8pm) announced that ZBH had massively increased its radio and television fees from about $1 000 to between $20 000 and $650 000 annually. The station quoted ZBH Corporate Affairs Secretary Josephine Tanyanyiwa justifying the move, saying the increases would improve the quality of programmes. However, apart from the re-introduction of international soccer, which had been scrapped during former Information Minister Jonathan Moyo’s tenure, she cited no other programme as proof of the alleged improvement. In fact, ZTV is still broadcasting repeats of old programmes such as the 1980s Mukadota Family, Thirty Something and Eldorado, among others.

The Herald (19/11) also carried a similar announcement.

The paper and ZTV simply presented the development as aimed at improving the public broadcaster’s programming quality, but they failed to analyse how these exorbitant fees were likely to impinge on the citizenry’s right to information, particularly low-income earners and the unemployed.

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