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George Maponga Masvingo Bureau
Government is pressing ahead with plans to licence at least 10 new community radio stations by mid year.
This comes as the new dispensation under President Mnangagwa moves to ensure there are no marginalised communities in line with the vision to transform Zimbabwe into an upper middle income economy by 2030.
Secretary for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Mr Nick Mangwana said last Friday’s gazetting of regulations guiding community radios confirmed the Government’s commitment to have new licensed community radios by June.
Speaking at the end of a highly subscribed community radio sensitisation workshop at Chikombedzi Hall on Saturday, Mr Mangwana said the Shangaans in the Limpopo Valley were one of the marginalised communities.
The community will get a radio station according to Government’s frequency plan.
“Just yesterday (last Friday) we gazetted the regulations that will regulate community radio stations,” said Mr Mangwana.
“I think by June this year we must have licensed community radio stations and the issue of establishment will be another thing because there is need for money, capacity-building and training etc.
“At least they (community radios) will be licensed because Zimbabweans have waited for too long.”
Mr Mangwana said the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) will soon flight adverts in national and community newspapers calling for applications to set up community radios.
Community radios had for long been the missing link in a three-tier broadcasting system that includes national radios and commercial (local) stations.
Mr Mangwana said about 10 community radios had been allocated for languages in the national frequency plan to ensure all the 16 official languages were catered for as enshrined in the Constitution.
Government’s devolution programme made even a stronger case for previously marginalised communities, their customs and languages to be promoted to speedily engender socio-economic development in those areas.
“The former marginalised communities will not be marginalised again or anymore,” said Mr Mangwana. “That is our intention.”
Mr Mangwana bemoaned that far flung and remote areas like the Limpopo Valley continued to live at the mercy of transmissions from neighbouring South Africa.
He said sustainability challenges for community radio stations were not peculiar to Zimbabwe and the Government would make sure the radios get budgetary support.
The State, said Mr Mangwana, was constitutionally mandated to support their development.
Turning to the planned radio station for the Shangaan, Mr Mangwana said gap fillers in terms of infrastructure for transmission were already in place, though he decried forex challenges for stifling efforts to fully import critical equipment.
He said any black spots in transmission would be attended to, to make sure there was accessibility.
“The community here responded very well to this sensitisation meeting and everyone from chiefs, district Government leaders, councillors and ordinary people showed enthusiasm and we are happy,” said Mr Mangwana.
Chiredzi South National Assembly member Retired Brigadier General Kallisto Gwanetsa said the forthcoming radio station for people in the Limpopo Valley would be a game changer.
He said the flow and exchange of information, especially via radio, was one of the key anchors of socio-economic development.
Besides educating, informing and entertaining, Rtd Brig-Gen Gwanetsa said the new community radio station will play a key role in preserving the cultural values of the Shangaan people scattered in the Limpopo Valley between Runde and Mwenezi rivers.
The Chikombedzi leg of the community radio sensitisation workshops was the last one in a series that have so far been held in Binga, Hwange, Plumtree and Gwanda.
Online Reporter