The appointment of former Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) chief executive officer Munyaradzi Hwengwere into the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) board has raised eyebrows with critics saying he is conflicted.
He is the founder of the Ray of Hope company which owns and operates Midlands regional radio station Ya FM.
Hwengwere, who is also a former manager of Buy Zimbabwe, was appointed into the BAZ board alongside Saliwe Njolomole and Melody Mbira Harry.
Information minister Jenfan Muswere said the appointments were approved by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Zimbabwe National Editors Forum coordinator Njabulo Ncube raised questions of conflict of interest with regards Hwengere’s appointment citing his association with YA FM.
“Yes there is a conflict of interest in that apart from being the former ZBC chief executive officer, he owns a radio station, so there is a chance that he could have inside information for his own benefit,” Ncube said
“Zimbabwe has a lot of qualified personnel that could have easily filled the gap or void.
“They could have used his expertise elsewhere, maybe as a consultant but not to sit on the board.
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“It is very unfair to the broadcasting sector in Zimbabwe which has got a lot of people with expertise.”
BAZ is responsible for the licensing of broadcasting services in accordance with the Broadcasting Services Act.
The government has freed the broadcasting space, but fears abound that the majority of radio and TV stations that have received licences are linked to the army, Zanu PF and the government.
A media expert, who refused to be named yesterday said Hwengwere's appointment does not resonate with good corporate governance ethics.
“There might not be legality breaches but with regards to corporate governance, its problematic for an operator to be a board member of BAZ as it would mean being a referee and a player in the same match,” he said.
“We all know the consequences of such a scenario.
“It does not give a good picture at all.”
Hwengwere yesterday said he has stepped down from the YA FM board.
“It’s obvious that these are the things that the appointing authority asked me about,” he said.
“l am no longer the chairman of YA FM.
“There is a new board at YA FM and that is the most important thing.
“l am in the mining space and other platforms.”
