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Elita Chikwati in Mutare
Community radios should not promote political content, but advance development issues to create an understanding of the objectives of projects and mobilise a buy-in from the public.
Officiating at a United Nations (UN) Workshop on Development Reporting in Mutare yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services permanent secretary, Mr Nick Mangwana said the law did not allow community radio stations to be political and those participating in politics risked losing their licences.
“The law prohibits political content on community radio stations,” he said.
“Those radio stations are only for developmental issues and other human interests. Politics divides people.
“The Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe has monitors. There is a monitor for each community radio who monitors the content and compliance with the law.”
Mr Mangwana said the monitors were also conversant with the local languages.
“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.
He added that communities, including corporates, should contribute towards the sustenance of community radio stations.
Mr Mangwana pointed out that development reporting was important as it created awareness and enabled the nation to take an interest in various projects being spearheaded, working together with the Government and its stakeholders.
He said there was alignment between the SDGs and the Second Republic’s national 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,” said Mr Mangwana.
“We will push the Government and nation’s developmental thrust in tandem with the SDGs. 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 called 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,” he said.
“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, hospitals and clinics are being built, so are many housing projects and of course the Community Radio Stations in which we receive support from one of the UN agency, UNESCO.”
Mr Mangwana further noted that 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 this was of paramount importance as they played an integral role in the dissemination of developmental projects using various platforms, but most importantly moving in with the technological innovations that continuously evolved.
“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.
Online Reporter