HARARE, March 6, (NewsDay Live) – Local media rights groups have accused the National Assembly of rushing to pass the Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill without considering stakeholders’ concerns, adding that the proposed law falls short of meeting democratic standards of broadcasting regulation.
The Bill sailed through in the National Assembly on March 4, 2025, and is now set to be heard by the Senate before it is sent to President Emmerson Mnangagwa for assent into law.
In a joint statement, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa Zimbabwe) and Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ) called on the Senate and Mnangagwa to reject the Bill, and refer it back to the Lower House for reconsideration.
“It is our well-considered view that if the Senate and president give the greenlight to this proposed law, Zimbabwe will be stuck in the stone age with a restrictive law that is non-responsive to technological advancements,” the statement read.
Misa-Zimbabwe and MAZ accused Information minister Jenfan Muswere of railroading the Bill through the Lower House, disregarding an adverse report of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Information, Media and Broadcasting Services.
“Misa-Zimbabwe and MAZ are particularly disappointed by how the minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Honourable Jenfan Muswere, who is sponsoring the Bill in Parliament, seemingly disregarded the input of the people as obtained in the report of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Information, Media and Broadcasting Services” the media rights lobby groups said.
They said they were dismayed at the missed opportunity to holistically reform the broadcasting regulatory framework following the Bill’s passage with cosmetic changes in the National Assembly.
The Bill, in particular allows for opaque processes in the transfer of licences and does not provide safeguards limiting the number of licences that one can hold, thereby defeating the constitutional obligation to media diversity.
- Govt bemoans lack of skilled ICT staff
- Potraz moves to curb ‘harmful’ content
- ‘Zim online security lagging behind’
- Govt commissions CICs
Keep Reading
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Information, Media and Broadcasting Services had, in terms of Section 141 of the Constitution, sought the input of the public through public hearings conducted in at least seven provinces from December 16 to 24, 2024.
The two media support groups overshadowed the process and also made written and oral submissions on the Bill.
“It is regrettable the minister did not consider the views of the hundreds that participated in this public process, nor did he take into cognisance the views of the media stakeholders whose interests Misa -Zimbabwe and MAZ represent,” the statement.
“Worse still, the minister ignored the debates of legislators from across the political divide, who to their credit echoed the views widely expressed by media stakeholders and the public.
“In that regard, Misa- Zimbabwe and MAZ expected significant changes in the long-awaited reforms to the broadcasting regulatory framework through the Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill.
“The passage of the Bill without addressing the critical questions on the independence of the broadcasting regulatory authority, enhancing public participation in the licensing process and strengthening parliamentary oversight, makes a mockery of the reform process.
Misa Zimbabwe and MAZ said they were equally puzzled by the minister’s reversal of the 40% foreign shareholding in the broadcasting sector to attract the much-needed foreign direct investment in line with the government’s open for business policy.
Muswere, who in the last debates of the Bill was joined by the leader of government business in Parliament, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, also ignored other broader submissions on the need to narrow the definitions of political content for community broadcasters, the need for transitional clauses in preparing for convergence and broadcast regulation in the age of artificial intelligence.
The media groups accused Muswere of going against the grain by the tying of vehicle radio licences to the issuance of vehicle insurance in order to fund the State broadcaster, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.
Clause 15 of the Bill proposes to compel motorists to buy vehicle radio licences first before they buy their vehicle insurance and licence.
