admin
Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
VICTORIA Falls needs a local radio station that will promote tourism as well as tell a positive Zimbabwean story to international visitors for the development of the country. This came out of a Broadcasting Services Authority (BAZ) public hearing held at Elephant Hills hotel yesterday as BAZ chairman Dr Tafataona Mahoso blamed the illegal sanctions for the demise of ZBC and lack of local stations in the resort town.
Victoria Falls residents have access to pirate radio stations — Studio 7, VOP and Short Wave radio as well as Zambian stations.
FairTalk Communications, represented by Cont Mhlanga and Qhubani Moyo, is the only company being evaluated to start a local commercial radio station in the resort town. Relatively new stations Star FM and ZiFM recently penetrated the local area but reception is poor.
Dr Mahoso questioned the Breeze FM directors how they hoped to do better than ZBC in an environment affected by sanctions. This was after Breeze FM CEO Moyo said the absence of a local broadcasting station in Victoria Falls where only foreign stations were broadcasting had motivated them to apply for a licence.
“Victoria Falls is heavily dependent on tourism and very sensitive to embargoes and sanctions. We all know that journalists and NGOs were used to instigate and promote sanctions, which didn’t only affect tourism but destabilised broadcasting,” said Dr Mahoso.
He questioned why Breeze FM directors relied on a research for the establishment of a radio station in Victoria Falls that compared ZBC to pirate stations without making reference to sanctions.
“It raises questions on who framed your questionnaires which compare with ZBC which is a victim of illegal sanctions. What is your view on that as a station and the impact they have because sanctions are there and real?” quizzed Dr Mahoso.
In response, Moyo said the research about Victoria Falls and the need for a radio station was done in conjunction with the Department of Journalism at the National University of Science and Technology.
“There is nothing wrong in comparing ZBC with pirate stations because this research speaks of the atrocities of pirate stations in Zimbabwe. It doesn’t celebrate the demise of ZBC but strives to tell a true local story.
“We are cognisant of the impact of sanctions not only on tourism but on the economy as a whole which is why we have always been on the side of Zimbabwe on the anti-sanctions stance,” said Moyo.
Commissioner Charity Moyo also questioned why the station had indicated that it would employ former ZBC DJ Erick Knight now based outside the country, adding that there were some locals who could be employed as managers instead of him as he left the country 12 years ago.
In response, Moyo said they would invite prospective professionals from the resort town once granted a licence.
He also said they had started engaging the Victoria Falls Municipality for a piece of land to build a state-of-the-art 3D studio.
The station will be broadcasting in about six languages — English, Nambya, Ndebele, Tonga, Chewa and Shona, said Moyo. He said they wanted to come up with a station that would create employment for locals and bring a sense of belonging to stir development.
Members of the public urged the station to employ locals saying it was an opportunity for them to develop while implementing Zim-Asset.
“It seems you do not have a clear gender policy based on the composition of your management, let’s have women and youth empowerment and also employ locals because we have our youths here,” said Khululekile Malunga, a resident.
Dr Mahoso said the commission would be strict with Breeze FM because of lack of competition.
“Here we got one and it is a dilemma for us because we have to evaluate an applicant running against himself. The board has to be thorough because the applicant is competing against himself,” he said.
Online Reporter