Online Reporter
Herald Correspondent
The Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services has strongly condemned an article in the Zimbabwe Independent edition of Friday February 20, 2026 claiming that US$52 million in collected license fees is unaccounted for at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC).
The Ministry dismissed the story as “replete with unfounded allegations, falsehoods and malicious insinuations” aimed at tarnishing the image of President Mnangagwa and the ZBC.
In a statement, the Ministry described the claims as gross exaggeration and a complete fabrication. It said the actual revenue collected from license fees is nowhere near the thumb-sucked figure of US$52 million.
“There has been no Government audit nor a forensic audit on this matter because no evidence of malpractice has ever been presented to warrant one,” read the statement.
“Furthermore, the internal auditors at ZBC have not flagged any such irregularity.”
The Ministry also dismissed insinuations that President Mnangagwa will punish Ministers for raising governance issues.
It said the reassignment of ministers was a constitutional and administrative prerogative of the President, exercised in the best interests of the nation’s developmental agenda.
“To imply that the President would punish a Minister for uncovering wrongdoing is not only a gross misrepresentation of His Excellency’s character but a reckless attempt to create a false narrative of discord where none exists,” read the statement .
The Ministry further criticised the newspaper for ignoring official channels.
“The publication was explicitly directed to channel its inquiries to the Permanent Secretary for comment,” read the statement.
“This direction was ignored because the intention was never to seek the truth, but to print a pre-determined, vindictive story.
“Furthermore, the claim that the reporter attempted to engage the ZBC CEO is a blatant lie. No such engagement took place.”
The Ministry said ZBC is scheduled for its regular audit in March 2026, with results to be tabled before Parliament.
“We will further ensure that the results of this audit are duly tabled before Parliament for scrutiny, in line with established legislative processes… The Ministry expects nothing less than full compliance from ZBC, as there is nothing to hide and public trust must be upheld,” read the statement.
It said the timing and tenor of the article reflected ulterior motives.
“It appears that this story was pushed into the public domain by individuals bitter about their own failed agendas, possibly acting through financial inducements and, are, as has been suggested, as cheap as a bottle of whisky. It is deeply troubling that a publication purporting to engage in serious journalism would allow itself to be used as a vehicle for such petty and sponsored character assassinations.”
It urged media houses to adhere to factual reporting and for the public to treat the allegations with skepticism
“We call upon the public to treat these baseless allegations with the contempt they deserve,” read the statement.
“We urge media houses to adhere to the principles of factual and balanced reporting and to desist from publishing stories that seek to divide the nation, undermine its institutions and destabilise State-owned entities.”
Peter Tanyanyiwa