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broadcaster with the approval of the Minister.In this case, the Minister was not consulted, making the process illegal and unprocedural.
 
The charges are pegged beyond the reach of the average person. Radio and television licenses rose from $50 and $650 to $50 000 and $150 000 respectively, car radio fees rose from $550 to $200 000.
 
In an unsuccessful bid to justify the increase, ZBH said the low rates being charged will make it difficult for them to break even, a situation that will see them closing shop .
 
During the same sitting of the committee, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee advised ZBH to ignore any directive from Information and Publicity Permanent Secretary George Charamba. Complaints about him interfering in the operations of the national broadcaster were raised.
 
Charamba's meddling in ZBH operations has stalled the appointment of new staff at the ZBH. The Ministry of Information and Publicity is known for imposing its preferred personalities at the state run broadcaster.
 
Parliament told ZBH management that it is answerable to the Board of Directors, not to Charamba.

Background
MISA-Zimbabwe notes that while the government unbundled the former ZBC into two companies through the ZBC commercialization Act in 2001, this process has failed to turn the fortunes of the ZBC. The irony and contradictions of this are that while the Commercialization act turned the ZBC into a state owned company and envisaged a profitable ZBC that would be sustained commercially the same government is now turning to citizens to sustain the state owned entity. The amounts being demanded are way out of the average income of an average family in rural and Urban areas. These fees will mean that many families will in fact be charged out of access to information.

MISA-Zimbabwe further notes that there has never been a comprehensive government policy of the governance of the state broadcaster. And all policies have not only failed to work but are passed on an ad-hoc basis.

MISA-Zimbabwe urges the government to engage citizens on the turn around of the ZBC into a true public broadcaster both  in its governance and programming. The ZBC needs a  charter that governs its operations centering on a people oriented mandate and not partisan political position as is the case now. Unless this is done the ZBC will continue to suffer financially and also from lack of trust by citizens.

While the government might succeed in forcing people to pay the exorbitant fees, that will not make the ZBC a trusted source of news. 

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