MPs reverse new television licence fees

MPs reverse new television licence fees

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By Lebo Nkatazo

A ZIMBABWEAN parliamentary committee on Monday grilled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings (ZBH) bosses over poor services and revoked the public broadcaster's new licence fees unveiled last week.

The MPs said proper procedures had not been followed and ruled that the new listener's licence fees were a nullity at law.

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Communications chaired by Zanu PF legislator, Leo Mugabe, arrived at the decision after conducting a hearing with ZBC board chairman Justin Mutasa and Chief Executive Henry
Muradzikwa.

The MPs also hit out the new licence fees, which they said cost more than what the average worker earned in a month.

Radio licenses now cost $150 000 in a country where a soldier earns $117 000
monthly.

“This gazette is null and void. Go and start afresh. The way the statutory instrument reads ... it is of no effect. It is of no consequence,” said Mugabe.

MPs also grilled Muradzikwa and Mutasa querying why people were being made to pay exorbitant fees for a shoddy service, with some parts of the country not receiving television or radio reception.

Former Information Minister and Tsholotsho MP Jonathan Moyo led the attack, exposing the defects in the statutory instrument that publicised the new licence fees.

Moyo observed that while the statutory instrument says “ZBH with the approval of the minister hereby makes the following notice”; at law only the information ministry and not the broadcaster could come up with a statutory instrument.

Moyo blasted: “You have no legal right to come up with a statutory instrument. Who are you? Who are you?"

Tempers nearly flared when Muradzikwa said: “I am objecting to you saying who are you. It is unfair."

And Moyo snapped back: “So what?"

Mugabe cooled the tempers after explaining to Muradzikwa that when Moyo had said who are you, the MP was referring to ZBH and not to the chief executive in his personal capacity.

Moyo added that the law was also defective as it had no effective date of commencement and people arrested for failing to pay their licences could capitalise on that loophole.

“The gazette does not have an effective date. In fact Zimbabweans are free not to pay because the law does not say (when it is effective),” Moyo said.

The MP also said there was also another loopholes in that, whereas in adverts ZBH was saying those over 60 years of age were exempted from paying, that was not provided for in the statutory instrument.

Moyo said the statutory instrument was unlikely to pass the test of the Parliamentary Legal Committee chaired by Professor Welshman Ncube as Zimbabwe’s constitution outlaws discrimination.

He added that the exemption order also had to be in terms of the law, and not a ZBH management decision.

He said: "You cannot discriminate as a matter of management discretion. It is a matter of law. You have exempted Cabinet from this. They are over 60."

Zanu PF Chitungwiza Senator Forbes Magadu complained about the quality of programmes on television.

He told the ZBH bosses: "I am worried about the quality of programmes on television. It is poor indeed. People are worried because they are paying for something that is not commensurate with the service.”

Muradzikwa said he was taking the MPs recommendations “but under protest".

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