Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
THE Government is set to accelerate the roll out of Frequency Modulation (FM) and television transmission expansion in the coming year (2026), with the aim of enhancing two-way communication between the central authority and citizens.
The initiative is part of the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services’ strategic plan revealed by Permanent Secretary, Mr Nick Mangwana during a week-long strategic review and planning workshop in Vumba.
Mr Mangwana emphasised that the expansion of FM and television transmission is crucial for facilitating effective communication between the Government and its citizens.
He also addressed the controversy surrounding Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) licence fees, stressing that the revenue generated from the fees is intended to transform ZBC’s programming, and restore its status as the channel of choice, rather than financing luxury items for management.
As of May 2025, motorists were required to pay an annual fee of US$92 (or US$23 per quarter) to renew their vehicle registration and insurance, a move that has sparked widespread criticism and outrage among the public.
Mr Mangwana urged ZBC to utilise the revenue from the radio licence fees to improve its services and justify the mandatory fee.
Mr Mangwana said: “We all know that on the television side, there has not been any movement. It has just been meetings, tenders and budgets, but nothing. We now have access to the digital dividend. May we be seen to be doing something on the digital space. There is a research that shows that about 61 percent of the Zimbabwean population still access their information from the radio. It is the most effective way of communicating with the Zimbabwean population.
“Therefore, if this ministry’s mandate is to establish that two-way communication with the citizenry, we need to make sure that we accelerate the rolling out of transmission networks across the country, particularly FM transmission, because that is the only way our people can access information.
“Television, yes brings the visuals and makes things become alive. We know that ZBC now has the Trabablas Interchange as part of their backdrop when they are doing main news. So, yes visuals matter because my old cousin in Chivi has never been to Harare, but when they watch ZBC News, they will see the feature. It is embarrassing to actually say there has not been any movement in the last five years in as far as television transmission is concerned. Yes, we can beat our chests, with spring walks for all the things that we achieved, but let us also be reflective of all the things that have not moved, those things that have denied the awards when performance contracts are being done.”
Mr Mangwana also urged New ZIANA to review its operations in order to align with the ever-changing trends in the information dissemination industry.
“We have an agency called New ZIANA. There is a question in the air. Do we need, as a strategic tool, a news agency? Is this the direction we are going in the modern era or whether we should review whether the NA in New ZIANA is still relevant? The news agency side of things. The relevancy of New ZIANA as an entity cannot be questioned, but what is questioned is the news agency side.
The reason I am saying its relevancy as an entity cannot be questioned is that we are in a devolution era where every language has to be mainstreamed.
“New ZIANA has eight of what can be called community newspapers that are written in languages, which speak to local developmental issues, local community issues and local social cohesion issues. Therefore, it is very relevant in that space, but it is just the news agency. If they were here, I was going to say let us relook and adjust.
“It is 100 percent funded by the fiscus. If we were to revisit this year and say what did we get from the money we pumped into New ZIANA, probably they would have given us an answer because on the top of our heads we do not know. They are a news agency, and therefore visibility is their second name. How can they make everyone visible when they are not visible?” said Mr Mangwana.
On ZBC, Mr Mangwana said: “ZBC now has the money. It has money more than it has ever had in a very long time. But it does not have money to splash around. It has money to drive the Government agenda, to change the reputation of ZBC, to draw the audience from other platforms, to engage the Zimbabwean public and ensure that the national vision is curated nicely and delivered to the people.
“ZBC must remain or becomes the go-to site, outplay those fake news sites out there. Fact checking should be by merely going to the ZBC channel on television. The whole idea was not for you guys to drive nice cars.”
He said the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services has taken brickbats for the national broadcaster to the radio licence fees approval and sustenance.
“Right now we are getting a very big push back from the public. We are also getting a push back under the ease of doing business efforts and initiatives, and you know we are under pressure to cut the licence fees to a more affordable value. We are refusing because we believe ZBC needs the money. By any means, please ZBC don’t go around borrowing content and fail to pay. You have a bad reputation in the market. The idea of disempowering content creators should cease, forthwith. The disempowerment of content creators, which actually decimated the content creation cluster, is because ZBC was not paying its content creators, local ones. I don’t know what this barter trade that ZBC was doing. People don’t pay rent using barter. No! People pay rent with money, they buy equipment with money. So, please pay the content creators. Those same content creators will have a studio to use at the production centre, our studio, and ZBC should be buying that content,” he said, adding that every cent collected under the radio licence fees must be accounted for.
In his welcome remarks, Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza, said: “We must acknowledge the tangible benefits being realised through specific Second Republic projects right here in Manicaland, many supported and made visible by your ministry. Allow me to mention notable progresses made by your ministry – Garahwa Transmission Tower where Ndau FM is stationed, Chimanimani Community Radio Stations, Inyangani Community Radio Station which has signal in some parts of Mash East Province and Vemuganga Community Radio Station.
“We have noted with satisfaction the efforts made by your ministry to improve Diamond FM’s coverage to 100 percent in terms of radio coverage. However, there are some parts in the province that are still to get radio coverage, and it is my hope that your ministry will prioritise these areas in the next budget. The areas am referring to are Buhera, Honde Valley, Rusape, parts of Nyanga and Chipinge, and Headlands.”
