ZANU-PF, with the disgusting support from prodigal son, Jonathan Moyo, is seeking for Zimbabweans to conspire against themselves.

They are even shamelessly inviting other nations to turn off the taps of freedom of expression and deny Zimbabweans the free flow of information.

With the arrival of the Internet, cellphones and other devices of communication, one would have hoped that educated people like Jonathan Moyo would appreciate the ease by which information is flowing, benefiting humankind.

But, alas, these people are working against the people; now I know why cockroaches only come out at night.

Robert Mugabe and his blind ZANU-PF followers are turning up the heat against what they call “pirate radio stations”, notably Studio 7, SWRadioAfrica and Voice of the People.

For many years, these external radio stations have been and continue to be the only source of independent and accurate news in Zimbabwe, given the government’s tight control of the media.

Now, ZANU-PF is blaming the MDC for the radio stations’ existence and is demanding that the MDC stops the external broadcasts, although they know that the MDC has no control over these broadcasts.

ZANU-PF has put forward the matter of these external broadcasts as “one of the outstanding issues affecting the Global Political Agreement (GPA)”.

“This issue should be brought to the notice of SADC because the regional organ should not allow its members to undermine the same GPA it guaranteed,” said Jonathan Moyo, who added that Botswana was ‘spiting’ both SADC and the African Union “as guarantors of the GPA”.

What drivel!

Zimbabwe’s Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Joey Bimha, was on Wednesday quoted as saying that a complaint was being filed over the hosting of ‘pirate’ radio stations “beaming hate messages into the country in violation of the Global Political Agreement and threatening the survival of the inclusive Government”. He added that the government had already made a formal complaint last year through the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation and “they would soon raise the matter with Gaborone”.

What is interesting is that the radio stations in question came into existence long before the GPA and how they became part of the GPA as if they are owned by ZANU-PF or the MDC is a mystery only these so-called negotiators can explain.

Just this week, Welshman Ncube, Mutambara’s Secretary General said: “I have said in the Global Political Agreement there is an agreement that we will liberalise the media so that those who are operating from outside Zimbabwe will be free to come into Zimbabwe and broadcast without let or hindrance from Zimbabwe. Indeed the relevant clause says – in anticipation of a free media environment the parties thereby agree that the external radio stations should be encouraged to return to Zimbabwe and to broadcast from Zimbabwe…”

All nonsense from Ncube as usual. ZANU-PF and the government wants the radio stations shut down now and Ncube knows it but tries to sugar coat it in an obviously pathetic attempt to come out cleaner than he is.

These are the negotiators we have; people who think they can use legal terminology to hoodwink the citizens.

Secondly, these radio stations became popular because ZANU-PF was denying the people of Zimbabwe true information, feeding them, instead, with propaganda and lies, always praising Mugabe as he set to dismantle Zimbabwe.

The situation has not changed. If anything it is worse now since the government controlled media is relentlessly being used to misinform people.

So does SADC want to stand up and condemn the media; or promote the curtailment of broadcasts?

Was ZANU-PF itself not beneficiary of cross boarder broadcasts when they were beaming their war rhetoric into Zimbabwe from Maputo?

At that time, the Rhodesian government used to jam “Voice of Zimbabwe” broadcasts from Mozambique.

Today, with the help of the Chinese, Mugabe spends time and resources snooping around people’s Internet communications, intercepting faxes and emails, along with listening to private conversations carried out by citizens through cellphones.

Now they have the gall to invite other nations to join them in denying Zimbabweans access to information.

“We made a complaint and the Organ said the issues should be addressed bilaterally through the Committee on Defence and Security and the Joint Permanent Commission,” Bimha said.

There is, of course, nothing illegal about the radio stations and it will be interesting to see what position SADC takes because we will come back to the same issue of ownership of airwaves, which respect no political or physical boundaries.

Does SADC, as a regional body, wish to control the flow of information in the region? Do they want to go on record as enemies of a free media; a media now without borders?

“The government needs to open its tight regulations for independent and free media,” Gwen Dillard, the Voice Of America’s Director of Africa Broadcasting, said. “If the (Zimbabwe) government liberalised the media space, there wouldn’t be any need for us.”

Between the government media and these external radio stations, who of the two is in the business of spreading falsehoods and broadcasting hate messages to Zimbabweans?

Look at the way reporters are being treated at the ZBC or the Herald. They are being punished for not lying enough.

While at that, instead of attempting to plug up the source of information, why doesn’t that much-abused media spend time telling the truth and proving the lies being broadcast by “pirate” radio stations?

Indeed, all it takes for these external radio stations to die a natural death is for Mugabe to let the media practice its profession in peace. Our colleagues in state-owned media houses are being used to do the very opposite of what their professional imperatives require of them.

It is shameful to think of the MDC sitting through such deliberations and not emphatically jumping to the aid and protection of a free media yet they remain on the receiving end of what ZANU-PF is doing with the media in Zimbabwe.

The MDC, itself the biggest beneficiary of these external broadcasts by Zimbabweans, appears to be contemplating using or sacrificing the media in one of their quid pro quos.

Having been shut out by the government media, these external broadcasts became important to the MDC in informing their followers in Zimbabwe.

The external radio stations should not be part of the GPA because they have filled a void deliberately created by Mugabe and his goons.

As one of such broadcasters since 2002, I am aware of the impact of our broadcasts and how much of a difference we have made in informing the people.

Zimbabwean media needs all the help it can get.

Is it not a shame that from here in Gaborone, I know more about what is happening in Zimbabwe than one who is in Zimbabwe?

The heart of the matter is that the MDC should not have accepted responsibility to discuss about the possible cessation of broadcasts by the so-called pirate radio stations or, more correctly, externally based radio stations.

ZANU-PF, for its obvious reasons, put the issue on the agenda of the outstanding issues and the MDC agreed to debate the issue as if they, or ZANU-PF for that matter, had any partial or total control over the running or ownership of these radio stations.

The MDC, once again, erred because they have created the impression that they have some sort of influence over this matter, just like they don’t have any influence over the removal of travel bans.

What do you think?
Send me your comment on tano@swradioafrica.com

The MDC is being fooled into skilful delays. They are being made to accept responsibilities that are not theirs.

ZANU-PF knows this pretty well but the MDC appears over-awed by these circumstances, maybe because the existence of these radio stations did help the MDC to get its word and programme around when they received no coverage from ZANU-PF controlled media in Zimbabwe.

I am Tanonoka Joseph Whande saying that the media must, of necessity, be left alone. If they err, they must be held accountable like any other law-breaker, otherwise ZANU-PF must stop trying to contaminate other nations by forcing them to take away basic freedoms from the region.

Media must be left alone to do its work and I expect the MDC to champion the cause of a free media. The MDC knows very well how a free media can benefit society. It benefitted from such, although the broadcasts were coming from outside our borders.

And that, my fellow Zimbabweans, is the way it is today Thursday, December 3, 2009.

(Source)