BRUCE SIBANDA, HARARE, ZIMBABWE
In a shock move, Zimbabwe’s current information minister has castigated the pre-inclusive government regime for wasting resources to purchase expensive equipment to jam private radio stations.
Webster Shamu said the international condemned Mugabe regime bought sophisticated equipment from China to jam private radio stations broadcasting outside Zimbabwe saying its was waste of financial resources.
The government using technology acquired from China has been able to jam signals from the Voice of America (VOA)'s Studio 7 radio station, the London based SW Radio and the Cape Town based Radio Voice of the People (VOP).
“We waster carce resources by buying equioment to from our friends in China to jam private radio stations. This should stop”
Zanu-PF is used to labeling the private radios enemy stations broadcasting outside Zimbabwe bent on inciting Zimbabweans to revolt against President Mugabe.
The private radio stations, Studio 7, SW Radio and Radio VOP are operated by exiled Zimbabweans who have been forced to broadcast into the country from outside its borders after the previous President Mugabe’s government shut down all independent broadcasting stations.
Father Nigel Johnson, the head of Radio Dialogue confirmed that Shamu was against the jamming of private radio stations.
“Shamu said the government should free the airwaves and allow private broadcasters to set up studios in the country and operate freely and independently.
“He said the government should improve programming at local state radios so that Zimbabweans see no need of turning to foreign broadcasts than to jam them.”
Zimbabwe has four radio stations and one television station all owned and controlled by the government.
The government has not awarded an operating licence to any prospective private broadcaster almost a decade after the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe declared the monopoly of the state owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation unconstitutional.
The southern African country, which has laws providing for the imprisonment of journalists for up to 20 years for publishing falsehoods, is always ranked as one of the three most dangerous places in the world for journalists