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Government commission concedes to media self-regulation
MISA-Zimbabwe
March 21, 2006

Dr Tafataona Mahoso, the chairman of the government-controlled Media and Information Commission (MIC) and vociferous critic of independent media councils has in a major climbdown conceded to self-regulation by journalists.

Mahoso told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Communications that the MIC would welcome voluntary regulation of the media.

Mahoso appeared before the Committee on 20 March 2006.

According to the government-controlled national daily, The Herald, Mahoso said contrary to certain perceptions, the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) did not prohibit voluntary regulation by journalists.

This is a dramatic concession on the part of Mahoso. The MIC chairman is on record lambasting organisations such as MISA-Zimbabwe which has been pressing for the establishment of an independent media council saying non-statutory self-regulation had failed in southern Africa.

Botswana, South Africa and Tanzania are, however, cited as examples of some of the countries in southern Africa with functioning codes of conduct and self-regulatory independent media councils.

The president of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) Mathew Takaona, told MISA-Zimbabwe on 21 March 2006, that the climbdown by Mahoso came as no surprise.

"He (Mahoso) risked being isolated as all other key stakeholders, in particular, the Minister of Information who is the appointing authority of Mahoso’s Commission, were agreed on the need for self-regulation," said Takaona.

The Minister of Information Dr Tichaona Jokonya is on record saying once the envisaged self-regulatory body is in place that would entail revisiting the statutory regulatory powers of the MIC.

ZUJ is currently spearheading countrywide consultative meetings on setting up an independent media council under the auspices of the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ), of which MISA-Zimbabwe, Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ) and the Zimbabwe National Editors Forum are affiliates.

ZUJ and MISA-Zimbabwe which are membership-driven organisations, embarked on the consultative meetings to brief, brainstorm and share ideas on the concept of the media council and the objectives of the body that is expected to retain the integrity and credibility of the media profession in Zimbabwe.

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