Chronicle Editor
Mashudu Netsianda in Mutare
GOVERNMENT has warned community radio stations against dabbling in politics saying they should stick to their main role of highlighting and promoting development issues.
Speaking during at a United Nations (UN) workshop on development reporting in Mutare yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services permanent secretary, Mr Nick Mangwana said community radio stations involved in broadcasting political issues risk losing their licences.
“The law prohibits political content on community radio stations. Those radio stations are only for developmental issues and other human interests,” he said.
“Politics divides people. The Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe has monitors for each community radio station whose responsibility is to monitor their content and compliance with the law.”
The monitors are also conversant with the local languages, said Mr Mangwana.
“If someone is pushing a political agenda they will be dealt with by the regulator and this may result in the loss of a licence,” he said.
The Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe has so far licensed 14 community radio stations in eight provinces.
Mr Mangagwa also called on communities including corporates to contribute towards sustaining community radio stations.
He said development reporting is important as it created awareness and enabled the nation to develop an interest in various Government projects.
Mr Mangwana said there was alignment between the Sustainable Development Goals and Vision 2030, which seeks to attain an upper middle-income society by 2030.
“As Government we follow and implement the 17 SDGs, which seek not to leave anyone or any place behind. We will push Government’s and nation’s developmental thrust in tandem with the SDGs,” he said.
“My ministry, whose mandate is to ensure citizens, have access to information through developmental reporting is underpinned by the Sustainable Development Goal 16: ‘Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions’, and one of its targets calls for states to “ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements.”
Mr Mangwana said SDG 9, which calls for the creation of platforms and infrastructure in an innovative way to enable journalists to disseminate developmental stories and other projects of human interest were of essence under his purview.
“The idea behind the concept of sustainable development is to maintain economic advancement and progress while guarding the long-term value of the environment.
“As part of the roadmap to the attainment of that vision, there are a lot of developments including infrastructural that include but not limited to Lake Gwayi-Shangani, Hwange 7 and 8, Beitbridge Border Upgrade, Harare Beitbridge Road, Kunzvi Dam and other projects under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Projects as well as hospitals and clinics.
“There are also many housing projects and of course the Community Radio Stations in which we receive support from the UN agency, UNESCO,” he noted.
Mr Mangwana said reportage on developmental issues was possible in a media landscape that allowed free flow and access to information.
This, he said, was made possible by the media reforms, which also saw the licensing of 14 community radio stations in the country’s eight provinces.
Mr Mangwana expressed concern over the welfare of journalists saying the upkeep was paramount as they play an integral role in promoting development using various platforms and adoption of technological innovations.
“Still on the same issue of journalists’ welfare, my ministry is working on the Media Practitioners Bill, which is already in its draft form and now awaits stakeholder consultations, which all the media stakeholders will be made aware of,” he said.
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