Thursday, April 16, 2020

Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services at the 40th Independence Anniversary
17 APR, 2020 - 00:04
 
Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services at the 40th Independence Anniversary

Minister Mutsvangwa

Tomorrow, Zimbabwe celebrates 40 years of Independence under the theme: Defining a decade towards 2030. Congratulations! Makorokoto! Amhlope Zimbabwe!

We are a proud nation: a nation that takes pride in its national sovereignty, peace and unity. Even during these trying times of the Covid-19 pandemic, Zimbabwe cherishes and celebrates as it commemoratively ignites the Independence Flame to burn and illuminate the future of our country.

Developing an enabling environment for the information and media sector in Zimbabwe

The Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services is led by the Honourable Senator Monica Mutsvangwa deputised by Honourable Dr Energy Mutodi. The Permanent Secretary is Mr Nick Mangwana supported by a Chief Director, Directors and Staff.

Vision

To be the real time disseminator of Zimbabwean information locally and globally supporting the national vision.

Mission Statement

Moulding lasting national consciousness that defends, upholds and promotes Zimbabwe’s founding values, identity and its interests worldwide through a modern, diverse and participatory information and communication industry accessible to citizens and the world, using the best business practices and technological means.

Terms of Reference:

Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Chapter 10:27) (Act No. 5 of 2002) which is being replaced by Freedom of Information Bill, Zimbabwe Media Commission Bill and the Protection of Personal Information Bill.

Broadcasting Services Act (Chapter 12:06) (Act No. 4 of 2001) as amended.

Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (Commercialisation) Act, 2001 (Act No. 26 of 2001)

Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (Debt Assumption) Act, 2004 (Act No. 11 of 2004)

Zimbabwe Media Commission Act

Mandate from the Office of the President and Cabinet

Mandate

Disseminating information to citizens and articulating Government policies, programmes and position on issues of national interest to promote two way communication between Government and its citizens.

Functions

The ministry’s functions among others are formulating and implementing dynamic information dissemination, media laws and policies that promote rights, the country’s development and national sovereignty.

It thus, administers information-related Acts to create an enabling media environment. The ministry also imparts information and media skills, carries out oversight on the information and media industry and establishes and maintains media infrastructure and platforms.

To discharge the national communication mandate, the ministry has five directorates as follows:

The Media Services Directorate which facilitates operations of the media, including dressing national events.

The International Communications Directorate that tells the Zimbabwe story abroad.

Rural Communication Directorate which bridges the rural-urban information divide in Zimbabwe for the benefit of our rural communities. The Directorate has Provincial Information Officers in all the provinces and has District Information Officers in all the districts in the country.

Content Directorate which is responsible for content generation.

Finance, Human Resources and Administration which plays a financial and administrative and logistical support to the ministry’s operations.

To help in the discharge of its national mandate, the ministry has the following parastatals and companies under its purview:

Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) which regulates the media industry.

Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) which is the national broadcaster operating television and radio services.

Transmedia Corporation which is the broadcasting signal carrier.

Zimbabwe Film and Television School of Southern Africa (ZiFTSSA) which specialises in the training of film producers and facilitating other content related programmes.

Zimbabwe Mass Media Trust which runs the following entities:

1.   Zimpapers (1980) Ltd which has print  and broadcasting interests;

2.   New Ziana which is the main news agency;

3.   Kingstons (Pvt) Limited which commodifies Zimbabwean artefacts and memorabilia.

Before Independence in 1980, the Rhodesian media policies and institutions advanced the interests of the settler regime at the expense of the majority black Africans who were subjected to mass censorship to promote the interests of the oppressive regime.

After attaining Independence in 1980, the then Ministry of Information and Tourism was established to transform the media and information sector from its pre-Independence orientation to one that was geared towards promoting reconciliation and equality in the Zimbabwean society.

The Government of the Republic of Nigeria generously donated a US$20 million grant which enabled the people of Zimbabwe to take over the ownership of media from the South Africa-based Argus Group which then owned the local newspapers (Rhodesia Herald and Chronicle). The acquisition saw the creation of the Zimbabwe Mass Media Trust (ZMMT) in 1981.

Deputy Minister Mutodi

The ZMMT was mandated to transform the media sector in support of democracy and an inclusive national development trajectory that was ushered in at Independence. This gave birth to the Zimbabwe Newspapers (Pvt) Limited Group, Zimbabwe Inter-Africa News Agency (Ziana), the Zimbabwe School of Mass Communication and Kingstons Holding (Pvt) Ltd under the ZMMT.

These developments in the print media coupled with the restructuring of the Zimbabwe Rhodesia Broadcasting Corporation (RBC) to become the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, fundamentally changed the media and information landscape in Zimbabwe.

In the beginning of the new millennium, Zimbabwe embarked on the Land Reform Programme which sought to address a land tenure system that favoured a minority and impoverished the majority blacks. This triggered a hostile response from Western countries, including their media which attacked and vilified the country in retaliation.

In order to regulate the information and media sector in such a hostile environment, Government enacted the Broadcasting Services Act (BSA) (Chapter 12:06) in 2001 and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) (Chapter 10:27) in 2002.

Despite the hostility directed at Zimbabwe, over the years the media sector successfully unpacked issues concerning the Land Reform Programme, illegal sanctions imposed on the country in response to the post-2000 Fast Track Land reform Programme, and the need to promote 100 percent local content that led to talent nurturing and the growth of the local arts industry.

The ministry is carrying out various projects with the aim of increasing publicity, access to information and facilitating diversity and plurality in the media and information sector.

The Zimbabwe Digital Migration project (ZimDigital) is one such project entailing the migration from analogue to digital broadcast services in line with the International Telecommunications Union’s (ITU) 2015 directive. The successful completion of the project will create space for more players in the broadcasting sector through a more efficient utilisation of the frequency spectrum.

The ZimDigital project is being implemented by the ministry’s parastatals, namely: the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe, Transmedia Corporation, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and the Zimbabwe Film and Television School of Southern Africa (ZIFTESSA). The following milestones have been achieved in the period 2015 to date:

Eighteen out of 48 transmitter sites have been digitised namely: Kamativi, Kenmaur, Mutare, Nyanga, Susamoya, Harare, Chimanimani, Bulawayo, Kadoma, Gokwe, Mutorashanga, Binga, Kotwa, Chivhu, Gweru, Gwanda, Karoi and Chiredzi. The digitised sites await procurement of set-top boxes to allow for a partial launch of the project.

Five out of 25 transmitter sites have been equipped with new FM radio transmitters, namely: Mutare, Susamoya, Kamativi, Kenmaur and Nyanga.

Seven radio gap filling transmitters were installed at Gokwe Nembudziya, Zvishavane, Kanyemba, Rusitu, Maphisa, Madlambuzi and Tugwi Mukosi.

(The Kanyemba transmitter is the only solar powered radio transmitter in the country).

Revamping of radio transmission was successfully completed at St Albert’s (Muzarabani), in Mt Darwin and Chivhu.

Two out of four High Definition television studios at ZBC’s Pockets Hill Studios were digitised.

A national head end facility at ZBC Pockets Hills Studios was installed.

A satellite uplink terminal was installed at ZBC Pockets Hills Studios.

The Content Monitoring System at the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe was established.

Four (4) phases of content productions have been completed as part of Government’s support to the creative arts industry. Content creation, apart from contributing towards the huge demand for content on the digitised platforms, is an employment opportunity to the creative arts industry, and also contributes towards the economic development of the country. The content produced so far translates to a total of 901 broadcasting hours, while 690 content creators were trained countrywide.

The project is 38, 6 percent complete owing to lack of adequate funding and timely access to foreign currency.

The completion of ZimDigital project is important to the Second Republic as it will allow for the growth of the media industry, creating employment as well as galvanising the nation towards Vision 2030 to attain an upper middle income status.

The Second Republic set itself Vision 2030 as the national priority whose roadmap includes the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP) to be followed by two year development programmes. The roadmap is underpinned by policies of improved governance, the re-engagement programme and improving the national economy under the mantra “Zimbabwe is open for business”.

On governance, it was imperative that Zimbabwe media laws be aligned to the Constitution as well as speak to international best practices.

The ministry, thus undertook several consultative engagements with citizens, including the Information and Media Panel of Inquiry (IMPI), and a number of workshops and conferences.

With the Fast Track Land Reform Programme behind us, the ministry has been implementing legislative and policy reforms entailing the repeal of AIPPA, the amendment of the Broadcasting Services Act, and the adoption of an industry-wide National Media and Film Policy.

Notable milestones have been achieved to date on the media legislative reforms which include the gazetting and presentation to Parliament of two of the three standalone Bills destined to repeal and replace AIPPA, namely: the Freedom of Information Bill and the Zimbabwe Media Commission Bill.

The Freedom of Information Bill sailed through the third reading stage in Parliament on March 18, 2020, and awaits Presidential assent to become law, while the Zimbabwe Media Commission Bill is undergoing the second reading stage in Parliament.

Protection of Personal Information Bill is still being finalised by drafters in the Attorney-General’s office.

The Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill which is geared towards fully opening up the airwaves of the country and boosting plurality in the media, awaits presentation to and approval by the Cabinet Committee on Legislation.

Another interesting development which is happening together with the Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill is the licensing of community radio stations and privately owned television stations by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) earmarked for this year.

The project being implemented under the current 5th Cycle of the 100 Days Priority Projects envisages licensing 10 community radio stations, 19 campus broadcasting stations and six privately owned television stations.

On January 31, 2020, aspiring licensees were invited to file applications with BAZ. Amendments to the regulatory framework to provide for the establishment of community radio stations, and licensing of additional television players, which has not been the case for the past 19 years, were gazetted on February 7, 2020.

Permanent Secretary Mangwana

So far, eight community sensitisation workshops were held in marginalised communities whose languages are not predominant in the mainstream media as a way of encouraging them to organise themselves and apply for licences.

Augmenting the media legislative reforms is the National Media and Film Industry Policy aimed at guiding the future development of the media and film industry in Zimbabwe.

On the basis of the Information and Media Panel of Inquiry, popularly known as IMPI, whose report was released in 2014 and stakeholder consultations, the ministry came up with a draft Media and Film Policy document. The document is currently being refined, incorporating views from the media and film industry stakeholders as well as from relevant Government ministries for presentation to the Cabinet Committee for its consideration.

The rural-urban information divide is a reality and as such Government is committed to communicate to rural communities. The ZimDigital Project will go a long way in improving access to information in rural areas. As a stop gap measure, the ministry’s Department of Rural Communications Services is installing Outdoor Public Viewing Screens (OPVS) in marginal areas where both FM radio and television services are not present. The project running under the 100 Days Cycle of Priority Projects, envisages installing of 10 screens across the country.

To date four screens have been installed at Mushumbi Pools in Mbire District (Mashonaland Central Province), Dzapasi/Chiurwi in Buhera (Manicaland Province), Nyika Growth Point in Bikita District (Masvingo Province), and at Mutora Growth Point in Gokwe Nembudziya District (Midlands Province).

To enhance the ministry’s capacity to deliver information to Zimbabweans in good time, the ministry augmented its traditional communication platforms with social media platforms, including Twitter (MinOfInforZW) Facebook, YouTube and Website (www.information.gov.zw).

With the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus the ministry, together with the Ministry of Health and Child Care and partners that include the United Nations Family, are part of the Risk Communication Cluster which is informing the nation about the pandemic.

On April 16, 2020, the ministry went a step further and launched a Call Centre housed at Newlands for the purpose of receiving public inquiries and disseminating information on the Covid-19 pandemic. In the long run, the Call Centre will disseminate information on Government programmes.

The Second Republic upholds a policy of accountability and transparency and to that end directed the ministry to facilitate weekly Cabinet briefs so that the nation is kept abreast of Cabinet decisions.

Conclusion

As the Government’s Public Relations Office’s ears and mouthpiece, the ministry gathers, packages and disseminates information to shape the Zimbabwean narrative in pursuit of the national interest. The ministry’s main goal is to promote and galvanise all sectors to achieve international competitiveness which is critical in attaining Vision 2030.

The ministry uses an open door policy and is amenable to constructive criticism and suggestions.

The ministry’s Head Office is located at Munhumutapa Building, Corner Sam Nujoma and Samora Machel Avenue. You can call us on telephone: 0242 783485-7 and 703891-3 or use 2023, the new information Call Centre.

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