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Herald Reporter 

Access to information is essential for nation-building, especially as the country counts down to the 2023 harmonised elections, Minister of Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services Monica Mutsvangwa said yesterday, while commissioning the newly refurbished ZBC Mbare Studios.

In addition she commissioned service vehicles acquired by the corporation to enhance services as a public broadcaster.

“The media is the ears and eyes of society that shapes opinion and should therefore desist from fanning violence, but instead condemn it in the strongest sense. Information dissemination remains key in nation building, especially as we begin the countdown to the 2023 national general elections.

“The elections by their very nature exert huge pressure on the media to remain objective and ethical at all times,” she said. 

 The Minister called on the media to remain professional and be guided by journalism ethics in discharging their mandates. Radio stations should improve content so that they remained relevant in the digital era. 

“More positive initiatives in the media sector have been achieved and will continue to be registered under the Second Republic as we aim to attain an empowered and prosperous upper middle income society by 2030. This is testimony that the Government is open to constructive engagements with its citizens.

“Media played a crucial role in shaping a healthy democracy and it was often described as the backbone of democracy. Radio in particular remained a popular form of communication as it affords a two way communication between the broadcaster and the listeners. 

“The refurbishment of the studios goes a long way in the promotion of free flow of information attesting to the Government’s commitment in promoting media diversity and plurality.”

The modernisation of Mbare Studios is in line with Government’s digitalisation programme to modernise broadcasting systems in Zimbabwe.

The achievement came in the wake of the licencing of 14 community radio stations, 7 Campus radio stations and 6 private commercial TV stations bridging the gap between urban and previously marginalised rural communities, leaving no one and no place behind. 

ZBC chief executive Ms Adelaide Chikunguru pledged to remain in the forefront in executing Government’s policy on universal access and universal service to ensure equitable socio-economic development of the country.

“The Radio Zimbabwe transmission studio being commissioned today is amongst the very many initiatives of ZBC towards supporting the transformation agenda of Government, through the modernisation of its technical systems to improve service delivery and operational efficiency. 

“Under the Government 100-day projects, also funded through ZimDigital, ZBC has managed to modernise a studio which is the Radio Zimbabwe transmission studio.”

ZBC Radio Zimbabwe station has been using 1992 analogue production systems, where the signal goes through an old transmitter network with huge compromise on the quality of the product.

ZBC chair Dr Josiah Tayi said the newly-refurbished studio was equipped with modern advanced, reliable, and flexible broadcasting tools. 

“The packages in the system are paperless solutions that encompass scheduling, playout, sales trafficking, and online streaming.

 “The motivation is to go full digital and use modern satellite systems. Automation, effective archiving and storage systems are key in the modernisation of broadcasting operations.”

Later on the day Minister Mutsvangwa met the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe board and management for a round-up meeting of this year’s progress and activity.

Minister applauded the BAZ authorities for effectively regulating broadcasting content to ensure compliance as provided by the law and regulations. 

Obviously the areas we performed exceptionally well are there for all of us to see but we need to work hard on areas that we fell below expectations. 

“I also applaud you for rendering support to the operationalisation of newly licensed television stations that have gone on air . In the coming year, we look forward to seeing the authority taking an active role in ensuring increased universal access to information.”

BAZ’s board needed to remain alive to the fact that media is the backbone of a democratic and independent country. 

“The media shapes the minds of the cities and sets the agenda of the discourse and as such is in our best interests to create professional and responsible media.

“ The expectation is to have BAZ and other agencies leading the way in moulding lasting consciousness that defends Zimbabwe’s founding values and interests.

“Additionally, as national elections are approaching, the authority content monitoring unit is mandated to take on the responsibility overseeing elections for the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. Therefore, to guarantee that this bears fruit, I assure you that Ministry is open to joining forces, with the content monitoring unit free to consult us whenever you need to.” 

BAZ chief executive Engineer Tendai Kapumha said they managed to achieve a number of milestones this year.

“This year we managed to launch four community radio stations out of 14 that were licensed. We had licenced a number of players in the prior year but this year became a year of implementation.

 “We managed to launch four television stations out of six that were licenced, but we expect other stations to go on air before year end.”