Herald monopoly to end as 4 dailies licenced

Harare- The Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) has finally approved applications from five media organizations that could start publishing their newspapers in the country very soon. The development will mark an end to the monopoly of the state owned daily newspapers which over the years built up a reputation for publishing sycophantic Zanu PF propaganda.

ZMC chairperson Godfrey Majonga told journalists in Harare last night that they had agreed to grant all the applicants registration.

“My commission has considered applications for registration from all the applicants; We have considered ANZ’s (Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe) application to re-launch The Daily News. The ZCTU, who applied to change the frequency for publication of their publication The Worker — which was a monthly publication — to a weekly. We have also considered The Mail and Alpha Media which applied to have “News Day”. The Financial Gazette’s Daily Gazette has also been considered,” Majonga said.

The Mail will be funded through the Youth Empowerment Fund and will publish a weekly newspaper. Alpha Media publishes the Independent and Standard newspapers. Majonga said: “The licences are going to be issued immediately and those who receive the licences can start publishing.” He said the ZMC had resolved that all foreign publications, including on-line media targeting Zimbabweans, must register with the commission.

“No international or regional publication has applied so far. Since these publications target Zimbabweans, if they injure Zimbabweans, people come to the commission, so documentation is for purposes of follow-ups,” he said.

On the Zanu-PF’s Voice, the Prime Minister’s Newsletter and MDC-T’s The Changing Times application status, he said: “The Newsletter hasn’t applied and The Voice has been a going concern before they had financial difficulties so there is no need for them to register with the commission.

“Newsletters normally are for members with certain numbers which they are not to exceed.  But if they exceed their target members, like the Prime Minister’s newsletter, then they have to register. We can assure stakeholders that we are moving expeditiously to implement changes that we can. As a commission we don’t have issues with individuals but if they fail to implement decisions of the commission then we will move in,” he said.

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