Operate responsibly, media urged

Munyaradzi Musiiwa Midlands Correspondent
Acting President, Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday implored the media to exercise responsibility and restraint in their reporting. Speaking during the official launch of a commercial radio station YAFM in Zvishavane yesterday, Cde Mnangagwa said irresponsible journalism could be disasterous. He gave the example of the Rwandan genocide which he said was driven largely by a station that championed hate speech.

The acting President said the media should instead take a leading role in educating the public. Cde Mnangagwa said mining towns have the highest HIV/AIDs prevalence and YAFM should play a critical role in educating the people on the dangers of the Aids pandemic. He said MSU students need to be capacitated with information on healthy lifestyles.

The Acting President said since Zvishavane was a hub of artistic and sporting excellency, the radio station had the potential to contribute towards the enhancement of people’s livelihoods and the recovery of the economy. YAFM, Zvishavane’s first radio station, started broadcasting yesterday.

Speaking at the same launch, the Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Cde Christopher Mushohwe said following the conducting of public hearings from August to September last year, the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) announced the issuance of licences to eight urban-based commercial radio stations.

He urged all those that have been licensed to operate responsibly by observing the Broadcasting Services Act. He said YAFM will broadcast primarily to the key parts of the Great Dyke, including Zvishavane, Mberengwa, Mashava, but had substantially invested to cover the entire globe via its online and mobile platforms.

He said the station will also create employment for many people. The Minister said Zvishavane’s relevance has been further buttressed by the recent addition of a Midlands State University campus to the town. “As government, when we licensed the new players, the idea was to decentralise broadcasting in the country.

“Due to that development, we will now have radio stations all over the country, including in smaller towns such as Masvingo, Victoria Falls, Mutare, Kariba, Gweru and here in Zvishavane.

“It’s our sincere hope that this liberalisation of airwaves will create healthy competition in the broadcasting arena, resulting in the quality and informative programming that our citizens deserve,” said the Minister. “As such, the people of Zvishavane are urged to embrace this unique opportunity,as it gets them to share with the rest of the country the town’s immense talent and several wonderful attributes”.