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ZMC to issue licenses soon
MISA-Zimbabwe
May 24, 2010

The Zimbabwe Media commission (ZMC) is set to issue licenses by 26 May 2010. According to The Financial Gazette, sources within the Government of National Unity allege that the ZMC has schedule crucial board meetings to go through applications and issue licenses on 24-26 May 2010. The announcement of successful applicants will be made on the last day of the meetings, the sources said.

Papers that await licensing include the banned Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe Daily News and its sister paper, The Daily News on Sunday, The Newsday, to be published by Alpha media and The Daily Gazette which will be published by Modus publications that publishes the weekly The Financial Gazette.

Last week, ZMC allegedly postponed a crucial workshop that was also expected to issue licenses to applicants. The postponement was due to financial problems and reports of alleged disagreements among commissioners on resource persons to the workshop. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai dismissed the issue of funding for the commission stating that the Ministry of Finance had availed a budget for them. The workshop was scheduled to begin on 13 May 2010.

Background

The ZMC that was officially appointed on 19 February 2010 has been under a lot of pressure to open the constricted media space. The ZMC recently called applications for licences by 4 May 2010, the ZMC Chairperson Godfrey Majonga said the commission had received applications, with at least five new applicants making enquiries on the registration procedures.

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