Community radios chase deadlines

Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter

GOVERNMENT has committed to assist all community radio stations in acquiring broadcasting equipment so that none of them loses their licences at the end of the 18 months deadline given to each of them.

The Government through the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ), licensed six community radios in 2020 and eight in 2021 giving a total of 14.

Seven of them in the Matabeleland region, as it seeks to address issues of communication and underdevelopment in some parts of the country once regarded as marginalised.

These are Nyangani Community Radio Trust trading as Nyangani FM, Radio Bukalanga, Matobo Community Radio Trust, Lyeja Nyayi Development Trust, Chimanimani Community Radio Station Trust, Ndau Community Radio Trust, Vemuganga Community Radio Trust, Chiredzi Rural Communities Development Initiative Trust t/a Avuxeni FM, Ntepe Manama Community Radio Initiative Trust, Twasumbuka Community Radio Trust, Kasambabezi Community Radio Trust t/a Kasambabezi FM, Beitbridge- Shashe Community Radio Broadcasting Trust, Mbembesi Development Trust t/a Ingqanga and Madziwa FM Community Radio Trust.

Campus radio licences were granted to the Midlands State University and University of Zimbabwe.

Each was given 18 months from the day of licensing to go on air.

Community radios are an important devolution tool as they play a critical development role at grassroots level, hence it is critical for them to amass as much content as possible so that they broadcast meaningful and helpful programmes.

By supporting a robust rollout of community radio station licensing, Zimbabwe is fulfilling its promise to broaden access to information for the benefit of citizens.

Deputy Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Kindness Paradza told a Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) meeting in Victoria Falls that hopes were high that all community radio stations will go on air before the end of the year.

Dep Minister Kindness Paradza (right with other Ministers and deputies at the TNF meeting)

Dep Minister Kindness Paradza (right with other Ministers and deputies at the TNF meeting)

In a follow-up interview Deputy Minister Paradza said most of the stations’ deadlines are expiring before the end of the year and they are running around to make sure they set up shop.

“A lot of them were given 18 months to set up shop so they have to meet their deadlines. As a ministry through BAZ we are assisting them to make sure that those who don’t have studio equipment we give them.

“We are assisting them not to fail because we don’t want to take these licences away from them as we will only withdraw the licences from those that really can’t assist themselves but we want to assist them so that they are on air,” said Deputy Minister Paradza.

He said Shashe is already on air as its 18 months period was supposed to expire last week and the Ministry will launch the station soon.

Deputy Minister Paradza will tomorrow launch on behalf of Minister Monica Mutsvangwa, Keyona TV in Bulawayo which has also beat its deadline.

Lyeja Nyayi has since benefitted from studio equipment from ZACRAS and are busy preparing studios so that they go on air before expiry of the deadline.

“So what they are doing right now is to make sure that they refurbish the studios but equipment and all technical assistance from BAZ and Transmedia we are going to give them,” said Deputy Minister Paradza.

Government has reformed media laws to allow other players to compete with the existing media houses and allow foreigners to invest in the media.

The Deputy Minister said Government needs the community radio stations for development of communities.

He warned that the radio stations must not be abused by politicians as they are for developmental purposes.

Communities will be expected to create their own content to promote culture using their own language.

However, for sustainability purposes, Deputy Minister Paradza said, the radio stations will be allowed to access adverts.

The Second Republic has been commended for recognising the importance of pushing development from the grassroots level while also preserving language, culture and heritage.

The community radio stations should quickly start operations so that they push developmental issues from the grassroots level in line with the devolution concept and the National Development Strategy (NDS 1) which should be unpacked to everyone across the country in a language one understands through the community radio stations.

-@ncubeleon