Story by Oleen Ndori
THE Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) has been challenged to tighten accountability, accelerate technological transformation and maximise available resources as government reforms reshape the media sector and create new operating conditions for public broadcasters.
Speaking during an engagement with the ZBC Board in Harare on Wednesday, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Dr Zhemu Soda said ongoing ease of doing business reforms would reduce broadcasting licence tariffs and introduce a special licensing window aimed at improving compliance and increasing revenue inflows.
The reforms, he said, should compel the national broadcaster to make better use of its resources while strengthening service delivery and fulfilling its public service mandate.
“Through the ease of doing business reforms that are currently underway, the tariffs that are currently being collected for regular licensing will be reduced,” Dr Soda said.
“This is just a special window which will be there maybe for this year and next year.”
The minister said the changing operating environment required prudent management of resources and stronger governance systems.
“What does that mean to the ZBC? You should do the best with the resources that you have,” he said.
“In terms of your infrastructure that you need to refurbish and the equipment that you need to procure, it calls for accountability.”
While acknowledging concerns over resource constraints, Dr Soda said government believes the broadcaster has sufficient capacity to execute its mandate if resources are managed effectively.
“I know the resources will not be enough in your view, but according to us, we think that you have enough to execute the mandate that you have,” he said.
“Ensure that your controls are in order in terms of preventive controls, detective controls and corrective controls. That is the responsibility of the board.”
The minister also called on ZBC to embrace innovation and adapt to rapid technological changes transforming the global media landscape.
He noted that advances in digital technology have dramatically lowered barriers to content creation, enabling individuals to compete with established media organisations.
“In the past, what we observed is that ZBC was trailing behind in terms of technological changes that have been taking place,” Dr Soda said.
“You will notice that an individual with a smartphone can operate like a newsroom.”
He challenged the broadcaster to leverage its scale, infrastructure and institutional advantages to remain competitive in an increasingly digital and audience-driven environment.
“The question is, what are we doing as ZBC, given the resources that we have and given the size of the entity that we are?” he said.
“Are we not able to leverage our size and our budgets to perform better than those that are operating using just their gadgets?”
Dr Soda said the engagement was intended to assess how the national broadcaster can position itself for growth and relevance amid rapidly evolving media consumption trends.
“The purpose of this meeting is for us to check on how ZBC can develop, especially in these changing times,” he said.
The minister also met the Board of Directors of TRANSMEDIA Corporation as government continues efforts to strengthen governance, accountability and operational efficiency across public media institutions.
The engagements were held in line with Section 33(4) of the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act, which requires parent ministries to meet boards of public entities at least twice a year to review performance and assess progress in delivering their mandates.
The meetings come as government intensifies reforms aimed at modernising Zimbabwe’s media sector, improving institutional performance and positioning public broadcasters to compete effectively in an increasingly digital media environment.
