Back to Index

MISA-Zimbabwe letter of appeal to GPA principals on the status of BAZ
MISA-Zimbabwe
November 25, 2011

To: The President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, His Excellency President Robert Mugabe
The Prime Minister, The Right Honorable Morgan Tsvangirai
The Deputy Prime Minister Prof Arthur Mutambara

RE: Concern on the Status of the Broadcasting Aurthority of Zimbabwe

The Media Institute of Southern Africa Zimbabwe Chapter (MISA-Zimbabwe) by virtue of this letter humbly seeks to draw your esteemed attention to developments in the broadcasting industry in Zimbabwe.

On 24 November 2011, the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) announced Zimpapers Talk Radio and AB Communications as Zimbabwe's first ever licensed free-to-air independent national commercial radio stations since independence in 1980.

It is common cause that the current BAZ board which proceeded to issue the two licenses in question was not procedurally constituted as required in terms of the law as its members were unilaterally appointed by the Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity on 30 September 2009.

In terms of the BSA as amended in 2007, His Excellency is vested with the powers to appoint the BAZ members after consultation with the minister and the parliamentary Standing Rules and Orders Committee. The other three (3) are appointed by the President from a list of six (6) nominees submitted to the President by the same committee.

In writing this letter of appeal, MISA-Zimbabwe is greatly encouraged by the fact that His Excellency and the Right Honourable Prime Minister are on record confirming and conceding that indeed this legal procedure was not duly followed and that the matter should be revisited.

The matter has, however remained unresolved up to the time of the issuance of the two licences in question. It is MISA-Zimbabwe's humble submission that this untenable development, ipso facto, renders the new licenses in question invalid.

MISA-Zimbabwe is therefore humbly appealing to your esteemed intervention and institution of the requisite corrective measures to address the procedural anomaly that led to the constitution of the current BAZ board.

Yours sincerely,

Njabulo Ncube
National Chairperson
MISA-Zimbabwe

cc Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Lovemore Moyo
cc Chief Negotiator Zanu PF, Hon Patrick Chinamasa
cc Chief Negotiator MDC-T, Hon Tendai Biti
cc Chief Negotiator MDC, Hon Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga
cc MDC President, Professor Welshmen Ncube
cc Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity
cc Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Media, Information and Communications
cc The SADC Facilitation Team

Visit the MISA-Zimbabwe fact sheet

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP