The Civic Alliance for Social and Economic Progress (CASEP), a network of civic organisations working in a wide range of social sectors and representing hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans, condemns in the strongest terms the Broadcasting Services Act rushed through Parliament by Government on April 4th.

The Act "normalises" the draconian regulations controlling broadcasting which were introduced using Presidential temporary powers in October last year. Those regulations claimed to end the ZBC's monopoly on broadcasting, and liberalise the
television and radio sector. In reality, they maintained tight control over all broadcasting in
the hands of the Minister. Since they were put in place, no new private broadcasters have been
licensed.

The Act passed this week maintains many of the same highly undemocratic restrictions on
broadcasting in Zimbabwe. The new laws will give extensive powers to the Minister,
enabling him to control any new private radio and television stations, and community radio
stations, which he may wish to approve. Under the new Act, for example:
? The Minister decides who will get a licence.
? The Minister decides the conditions of the licence, and can change them at will.
? The Minister appoints the Broadcasting Authority, the body which will oversee
broadcasting.
? The Minister can set restrictions on broadcasting content and other operating
conditions.
? The Minister can close down any radio or TV station.

In addition, the Act allows for only one national radio and one national television broadcaster, besides the ZBC. It stipulates tight restrictions on local "community" radio broadcasters, including the issuing of non-renewable short-term licenses for one year only. It outlaws cross-ownership of television, radio, newspapers, telecommunications and other communications systems.

This Act is a recipe for continued state control of radio and television, leading to the silencing - not the liberation and amplifying - of the many unheard voices in our society.

CASEP believes the public has a number of inalienable rights around the media.
These include
? The right to information,
? The right to communicate,
? The right to have a publicly owned media that is accountable to the public
? The right of access to media for all people (including those in our
neglected
rural areas).

Many of these rights exist in national policy, such as in the Constitution of Zimbabwe and in
the Southern African and international conventions which Zimbabwe is signatory
to. Our Constitution guarantees freedom of communication and expression.

The new Broadcasting Services Act entirely fails to protect and implement these rights. Rather, it erects many obstacles in the way of private and community (not-for-profit) broadcasters.

Implementing public information rights implies that
? Regulation of broadcasters operations be within constitutional boundaries
? Frequencies and licenses be distributed fairly and transparently by the
Broadcasting
authority to all players in the industry;
? Civic groups and the public be given fair airtime and coverage on the
public
media;
? Greater investment be made to enhance media access to areas that are
presently under-
served, especially rural areas, and to poor communities.
? The ZBC be placed in the hands of an independent board which reflects the
full range of
interests in the Zimbabwean public, and not in the hands of the Minister;
? Control over all broadcasting be the responsibility of an independent,
representative,
transparent public body responsible to Parliament; and representative of
both
urban and
rural civil society.

The Act in contrast upholds Government's existing partisan control over the
national
public broadcaster, the ZBC.

The ZBC's biased and distorted media coverage has turned this national
institution into an
unconcealed propaganda arm of government, responsible to the Minister. CASEP
believes
that Zimbabwe needs a national public broadcaster which strengthens our
democracy by
acting as a forum for fair and open debate, reflecting a range of national
interests. As a
national institution owned by all Zimbabweans, the ZBC should meet this
obligation.

CASEP rejects outright the new broadcasting regulations, and calls for
wide-ranging
democratic reforms for the broadcast media - public and private.

CASEP notes with great concern the extraordinary rushing through Parliament
of
the new
Act, accomplished only with the suspension of normal parliamentary
procedure,
and the
crude distortion of parliament's legitimate legislative role. We call on
Government to
implement a legitimate process of national debate and consultation, leading
to
the
development of democratic media laws whose main objective is the nurturing
of a
more
democratic Zimbabwe.

(*) The Civic Alliance for Social and Economic Progress is a network of
constituent civic
organisations working on social and economic rights. This statement is
endorsed
by
Zimbabwe United Residents Association, Public Services Association,
Zimbabwe
Teachers
Association, Human Rights Forum, Community Working Group on Health,
National
Constitutional Assembly, Media Monitoring Project and Zimbabwe Congress of
Trade Unions