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BAZ
risks contempt of parliament charges
Njabulo
Ncube, The Financial Gazette (Zimbabwe)
August 24, 2006
http://www.fingaz.co.zw/story.aspx?stid=701
The Financial
Gazette can reveal that when BAZ chief executive officer Thomas
Mandigora appeared before the Portfolio Committee on Transport and
Communications about three months ago, he said the regulating authority
would have called for applications by the end of last month.
Investigations by this newspaper this week reveal that not only
has there been silence on the issue of the opening up of the airwaves
by the authorities but recommendations to amend the Broadcasting
and Services Act (BAS) are also gathering dust at the ministry
of Transport and Communications.
The Portfolio
Committee on Transport and Communications, chaired by Makonde legislator
Leo Mugabe, has been under immense pressure from civic organisations
and media stakeholders to liberalise the airwaves since the promulgation
of the BSA in 2002, which automatically licensed Transmedia and
the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings (ZBH).
Mugabe
said failure by the BAZ officials to stick to their programme of
action smacked of contempt of parliament.
"When they (BAZ) appeared before us, its officials revealed
a programme of action under oath. They said by the end of July they
would have called for applications and the deadline has expired
without anything being done. It is simple contempt of parliament
because this was under oath," said Mugabe in a telephone interview.
According to
BAZ sources, it would be impossible for the broadcasting authority
to invite new players before the BAS was amended to allow the entrance
of community radio and television stations, among other things.
In December
2004, BAZ invited applicants for the provision of 15 national commercial
free-to-air radio broadcasting licences. Parliamentary documents
obtained by The Financial Gazette indicate that the applications
received by BAZ were for a national commercial free-to-air radio
service, a national commercial free-to-air television service and
local commercial free-to-air radio broadcasting services for Harare
and Bulawayo.
Of the
five applicants, four — Matopos FM, Media Integration (Private)
Limited, Voxmedia Productions (Private) Limited and Radio Dialogue
— were disqualified.
Only
MBAC Television (Private) Limited was shortlisted but also failed
to make the grade allegedly due to lack of proof of adequate funding
to undertake the project, dependence on private placement, reliance
on an "unguaranteed" window through the Homelink facility
and an unspecified outstanding debt owed to the then ZBC since 1998.
BAZ chairman
Pikirayi Deketeke alleged Mandigora was put under immense pressure,
hence the July deadline.
"It becomes
difficult if we are to call for applications when we know those
eager to apply fail to meet the criteria and requirements,"
said Deketeke. "We have made recommendations for the amendment
of the (BAS) Act but we have not had any input from the ministry."
The issue of
foreign funding and setting up infrastructure is understood to be
scuttling efforts by independent players to successfully apply for
licences. BAS bars foreign funding and no company is allowed to
own transmitting infrastructure except Transmedia which prospective
broadcasting players allege has no capacity to provide the service.
BAZ has recommended
to the ministry the introduction of a second signal carrier. The
BAS permits a single carrier and the ZBH to own transmitters.
Deketeke added:
"The amendment we have recommended to the ministry will assist
in allowing new players. As things stand it is difficult to accuse
the BAZ of being in contempt of parliament or the Portfolio Committee
on Trans-port and Communications."
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