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The Zimbabwe government has admitted that it is jamming the Voice of America's Studio  7 broadcasts into the country claiming its actions are aimed at protecting Zimbabwe's sovereignty.

The admission was made in Parliament on 28 February 2007 by the Deputy Minister of Information and Publicity Bright Matonga while responding to a question by Kambuzuma parliamentarian Willas Madzimure.

Madzimure had asked why the government was jamming Studio 7 which is manned by Zimbabwean journalists and broadcasters exiled in Washington DC. "We cannot allow foreigners to invade our airwaves without our authority," said Matonga. "We will continue to do it. We need to protect our sovereignty. If you go to England you will not receive any foreign radio stations."

Gerry Jackson of SW Radio Africa which similarly broadcasts from London said the Zimbabwean-manned radio station has since resorted to using text messages to beat the country's censors in the wake of two continuous years of jamming.  Jackson says the daily SMS headline service is proving to be popular with the station receiving 100 requests a day from those wanting to join the service.

The station's website offers podcasts and transcripts of interviews are circulated by email to those in Zimbabwe and hundreds of others living in the diaspora. So far about 2 000 people have signed up to SW Radio Africa's text scheme in the last two months.

The jamming has mainly affected SW Radio Africa's broadcasts in Zimbabwe's urban areas, where mobile phones are most popular. Reports of the jamming of broadcasts are part of efforts to block Studio 7 and SW Radio Africa from reaching Zimbabweans with alternative information on developments in the country.

The Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) has since its establishment in 2001 failed to issue licenses to private broadcasters. This has led to several stations manned by exiled Zimbabweans such as the London-based SW Radio Africa and Studio 7 beaming into Zimbabwe on short and medium wave from beyond the country's borders.

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