By Lance Guma
[twitter-follow username=”lanceguma” scheme=”dark”]
HARARE – An opposition legislator has refused to pay licence fees to the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) and instead filed a Constitutional Court application to force the state broadcaster to encrypt its signal so that it is only received by those who wish to associate with its biased programming.
Lawyer Jessie Majome, the MP for Harare West (MDC-T) and Shadow Minister for Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, filed the court application citing the infringement of her rights in some sections of the Broadcasting Services Act which has maintained a shocking 33 year monopoly for the ZBC.
A licence inspector from the ZBC visited Majome’s Harare residence demanding proof of a television licence which she did not possess. The inspector notified her that she was compelled to produce the licence at a police station within seven days in terms of Section 38D(2) of the Broadcasting Act.
In her application, Majome says that she did not produce the television licence at the police station and will not do so as she feels that this infringes on her constitutional rights and that is the reason that motivated her application.
“It is a notorious fact in the public domain that ZBC is not impartial in its dealings particularly regarding the coverage of events, positions and programmes of political parties operation in Zimbabwe on its television and radio stations,” Majome says in her application.
Majome argued that ZBC’s bias was to the detriment of other bona fide political parties particularly the MDC where she is a senior official. She said ZBC’s bias to Zanu PF was “overwhelming and self-evident to even the ordinary reasonable viewer” and it was without doubt a propaganda and advocacy tool for Zanu PF.”
“It operates as a public mouthpiece for Zanu PF. Through various documentary, current affairs and news programmes 1st Respondent (ZBC) promotes Zanu PF’s political agenda with overt and covert messages that are quintessentially Zanu PF in content, ideology and form,” the application reads.
Majome claims in the application that one ZBC reporter confided in her that reporters and sub editors are under instruction to keep focus on members of the MDC to an absolute minimum on radio and television.
“1st Respondent is in flagrant violation of Section 56(3) which protects me from unfair discrimination of any kind including on the grounds of political affiliation. There is a de facto ban in operation by 1st Respondent upon my office and person solely because of the political party I belong to.”
In seeking her relief from ZBC programming, Majome implored the court to order ZBC to encrypt its signal so that it is only received by those who wish to associate with the ZBC programming.
