The meeting was also attended by the Deputy Minister Jameson Timba, the Permanent Secretary George Charamba and senior ministry officials.

MISA-Zimbabwe’s Vice-Chairperson Njabulo Ncube briefed the meeting on MISA-Zimbabwe mission and vision as well as its lobby and advocacy activities as underpinned by the 1991 Windhoek Declaration which seeks to promote free, independent, diverse and pluralistic media and the activities undertaken over the years in that regard.

Ncube raised MISA-Zimbabwe’s concerns on the restrictive media legislative environment and its toll on the Zimbabwean media industry and the profession at large.
He said laws governing the media in Zimbabwe violated regional declarations such as the 1991 Windhoek Declaration, African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR), African Charter on Broadcasting and the Banjul Declaration on the Principles of Freedom of Expression in Africa which Zimbabwe has either signed or ratified.

MISA-Zimbabwe Senior Programme Officer Nyasha Nyakunu spoke on the need for media policy interventions and legislative reforms that can be instituted to free the media space and allow for the entry of new players into both the print and broadcasting sector. Nyakunu also briefed the meeting on the consultative processes that led to the launch of the self-regulatory Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ).

Discussions also centred on the need for a three-tier broadcasting system, transformation of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation into a truly independent public service broadcaster, media ethics, media cross- ownership and the need for a constitutional provision that explicitly guarantees media freedom.

The Permanent Secretary George Charamba acknowledged the restrictive nature of the Broadcasting Services Act (BSA) as hampering the entry of private players into the broadcasting sector and the establishment of community radio stations. Minister Shamu said such interactions should be encouraged adding that the Ministry would maintain an open door policy with key media stakeholders and organisations to foster professional relations on issues of concern to the industry.

MISA-Zimbabwe National Treasurer Angela Makamure, Advocacy Officer Tabani Moyo and Assistant Programmes Officer Koliwe Nyoni also attended the meeting.

Rashweat Mukundu
Programme Specialist: Media Freedom Monitoring
MISA Regional Secretariat
21 Johann Albrecht Street
Private Bag 13386
Windhoek, Namibia
Tel: + 264 61 232 975
Fax:+264 61 248016
Mobile: 00 264 813 675 362
E mail rashweat@misa.org, misaalerts@gmail.com

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