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Walter Mswazie in Masvingo
Zimbabwe will soon introduce a television station for Sadc to promote integration and better cultural understanding across the region, Media, Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Christopher Mushohwe has said.
In March 2015, Zimbabwe received about US$125 million for digitisation, whose international deadline was June 2015 with the International Telecommunication Union spearheading the programme.
All Sadc members of the ITU missedd the deadline, and Zimbabwe plans to migrate from analogue to digital by the end of the first quarter of 2016.
Once digitisation is complete, Zimbabwe will have 12 TV stations, up from one.
ZBC TV will have six high definition channels, while six more HD channels will be reserved for independent producers.
There will be 48 transmitter sites countrywide to ensure national coverage.
On the sidelines of a consultative meeting on digitisation with independent film and content producers in Masvingo last Thursday, Dr Mushohwe said the regional TV station proposal had been shared with other Sadc countries.
“We are going to launch the television station soon … I was in Lesotho recently and discussed the initiative with my counterparts there. We also want to do the same with our The Southern Times newspaper; for it to be a regional paper where all Sadc countries are covered.
“This is in line with our ethos as the Sadc region. As a bloc, we should be able to tell our story and the television station will present each member with such opportunity as we seek to have wholesome integration among member states. One should be able to relate to cultures in the region.”
Dr Mushohwe added, “We have already made strides to cement this integration through our plans to introduce one Sadc passport.
“We also plan to launch seamless railway lines and road networks so as to cement efforts towards integration among Sadc Member States. A TV station will present members with great opportunity.”
Online Reporter