ZBC bosses ban Job Sikhala interview

By Lance Guma

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HARARE – The Zanu PF controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) was on Tuesday accused of banning an interview their journalists had conducted with former St Mary’s MP and MDC-99 faction leader Job Sikhala.

Sikhala told Nehanda Radio “The ZBC invited me to the programme to air my views on the COPAC constitution on their own volition. The recording was done today from 2:30pm and was supposed to be aired today at 9pm.”

Sikhala claims he received a call from the ZBC Programmes Manager telling him “they are no longer able to air the interview because ‘mashefu’ ati (the bosses said) it should not be aired”.

A furious Sikhala said “I never asked the ZBC to invite me to the programme. They have been bashing me without the right of reply when they were inviting their people like Psychology Maziwisa to attack me.

“I was really moderate and for ZBC to ban the interview to be aired is evil and satanic. Media reforms NOW is our clarion call,” he added.

Before the interview Sikhala had posted on Facebook saying “ZBC for the first time have invited me to air my views about the new constitution. I will monitor how much they will butcher my views at 9pm.”

The ZBC despite being state owned is notoriously pro-Zanu PF. Interviews in which President Robert Mugabe and his party are criticised will more likely end up on the scrap heap than be broadcast on air.

Zimbabweans will on Saturday be asked to vote in a referendum on a new constitution. All three parties in the coalition government are backing the draft which is seen as preparing the way for watershed elections in July.