Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill gets Bulawayo’s nod

Nqobile Tshili, nqobile.tshili@chronicle.co.zw 

STAKEHOLDERS in Bulawayo have endorsed the Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill, saying its enactment will revolutionise Zimbabwe’s broadcasting landscape and ensure the national broadcaster produces quality programming.

The bill seeks to align the Broadcasting Services Act with the Constitution and the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act. Notable clauses include a provision limiting the tenure of the chief executive officers for the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) and the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) to two five-year terms, subject to performance contracts.

The bill also proposes that motorists pay radio license fees when obtaining vehicle licenses and allows foreigners to own up to 40 percent of Zimbabwe’s media entities, a significant departure from the current law prohibiting foreign ownership. 

Chairperson of the Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services Parliamentary Portfolio Committee, Mr Caston Matewu, facilitated the public hearing, inviting participants to debate the bill’s provisions. 

National University of Science and Technology (Nust) media lecturer and veteran journalist Mr Methuseli Moyo spoke of the need for adequate funding for ZBC to produce quality programming. 

He said without sufficient funding, ZBC cannot deliver quality content. 

“If there is no money, there is no way it can produce quality content. No one will put their content for free at ZBC, content creators want to be paid for their content,” said Mr Moyo.

He said creatives need to be paid for their work, adding that if this bill addresses funding, it will resolve many issues.

“If this act is going to address the area of funding, then it will answer all these things. 

“I worked there for some time. It was very painful to see creatives coming to beg for the content that they would have supplied,” said Mr Moyo.

Continues on www.chronicle.co.zw

Ms Wendy Sibanda, a Bulawayo resident, emphasised the societal benefits of a well-funded broadcasting sector. 

She said ZBC is often criticised for being boring.

“But how will it produce quality content when it does not have funding? Right now the society is raising concerns that young people are abusing drugs, some of them are not properly dressed and this is because they are learning all those things from content creators from other countries who do not censor things that they produce,” said Ms Sibanda. 

Mr Leslie Phiri of FairTalk Communications welcomed the provision allowing foreign investors to own up to 40 percent of media entities, saying it would enhance the sector’s competitiveness. 

He said the previous prohibition of foreign ownership was retrogressive. Mr Phiri said allowing foreign investment will bring much-needed capital and improve broadcasting quality.

“We are struggling in Zimbabwe in terms of broadcasting. The existing law that prohibits foreign ownership was very retrogressive and I believe with the foreign investment, I believe it will improve the quality of our broadcasting,” said Mr Phiri.

Mrs Thandiwe Dlamini of Ingqanga FM, a community radio station in Mbembesi, praised the bill for proposing a broadcasting fund to support community radio stations.

She said as a station still finding its footing, it desperately needs Government funding. 

“As a radio station, we would like to support the funding for the community radio stations as prescribed by the bill. We are in dire need of Government funding,” she said.

“So the broadcasting fund which will be extended to community radio stations will be a welcome development.” 

While most participants supported the bill, some raised concerns about ZBC’s exclusive right to collect broadcasting fees. They suggested that BAZ handle fee collection and distribute funds across the sector.

In his remarks, Mr Matewu assured stakeholders that their input would be considered in the legislative process.

“We are here because Section 141 of the Constitution mandates Parliament to seek public views when making laws. When we are making laws we are mandated by the Constitution to reach out to citizens so that they also have a voice or opinion in whatever law that needs to be made by the country,” he said. – @nqotshili