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ZACRAS statement on government's procurement of community broadcasting equipment
Zimbabwe Association of Community Radio Stations (ZACRAS)
September 07, 2011

The Zimbabwe Association of Community Radio Stations welcomes government's procurement of community radio broadcasting equipment.

According to the Chronicle of 3 September 2011, Transmedia Corporation Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Florence Sigudu-Matambo, indicated that the equipment which comprises of transmitters, antennae and general hardware has been delivered.

However, the Zimbabwe Association of Community Radio Stations (ZACRAS) is baffled by the Transmedia Corporation CEOs statement that installation of the transmitters and antennae will commence after the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ), is finished with the licensing process. This can be likened to the Zimbabwe National Roads Agency (Zinara) stating that it will not construct any roads until the Central Vehicle Registry (CVR) has registered cars.

Installation of community radio equipment should not be dependent upon BAZ's licensing of community radios. Transmedia and BAZ are two separate entities, with the former being mandated with making certain that requisite broadcasting infrastructure is available, and the latter ensuring that interested broadcasting players are licensed.

In the past, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity, George Charamba has indicated that the broadcasting infrastructure in the country creates no room for new broadcasting entries. Therefore, it is ZACRAS' conviction that the acquisition of broadcasting equipment will put to rest the excuse of poor infrastructure as the reason for the non-licensing of alternative broadcasting players.

Since 2003, ZACRAS has been representing the interests of community radio initiatives in Zimbabwe. Presently, the Association has a membership of eleven community radio stations which have proper structures and the support of the communities where they are based. Two of the Association's members, Radio Dialogue in Bulawayo and CORAH in Harare, are equipped with broadcasting equipment which will enable them to start broadcasting once they are granted licenses.

ZACRAS therefore urges his Excellency the President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirayi, the Minister of Media, Information and Publicity, Webster Shamhu, and the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders to expedite the process of appointing a properly constituted BAZ. This will result in the calling for applications and subsequent licensing of community radio stations in a credible and transparent manner.

The regulatory authority should ensure that real community radios with a clear mandate of advancing community developmental issues are licensed. The ZACRAS Harare Declaration of 2011 defines community radio as being "for, by and about the community, whose ownership and management is representative of the community, and pursues a social development agenda, and is non-profit making".

Therefore, community radios must not be hijacked as propaganda machinery for self-serving individuals and organisations at the expense of communities' need to articulate their issues. To this end it is ZACRAS' view that, the decentralization of the state controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) radio stations which churn out party propaganda at the exclusion of alternative voices should not be mistaken for community radios.

The Association maintains its position that the licensing of community radios is consistent with the democratization and development of Zimbabwe. It is ZACRAS' firm conviction that it is only when communities have access to information and can freely express themselves that they are able to participate in governance issues from an informed point.

Visit the ZACRAS fact sheet

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