Shamu rants against so-called ?pirate? radio stations | SW Radio Africa

Posted by Tererai Karimakwenda on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 in Zim media | 1 comment

Webster Shamu

By Tererai Karimakwenda
14 August 2012

A tour of one of the new radio stations, controversially licensed by the discredited Media Commission last year, provided an opportunity for the Media, Information and Publicity Minister, Webster Shamu, to rant against independent radio stations on Monday.

The ZANU PF mouthpiece Herald newspaper reported that Shamu toured AB Communications? ZiFM radio station in Harare, after which he blasted so-called ?pirate stations? that broadcast from outside Zimbabwe.

Shamu was quoted as saying: ?They will never win the war against Zimbabweans. We advise all those employed by them, wherever they are, to come back home in a proper channel than to continue peddling foreign policies, which will never succeed.?

He also claimed these stations are operated by enemies of the state who are being used to reverse the gains of the liberation struggle.

Writer and journalist Geoff Hill dismissed Shamu as a ?propagandist? who should not be in charge of media and his rantings would not be taken seriously by the majority of Zimbabweans.

He pointed to the fact that both ZANU and ZAPU had radio stations broadcasting from outside Zimbabwe during the liberation struggle and South Africa?s ANC party had a station in Zambia in the days of apartheid.

?It may very well be that Shamu had drawn up a speech that he wanted to give and needed a venue to do it and Supa provided him with that platform. It was clearly well thought out,? Hill explained.

AB Communications? is run by Supa Mandiwanzira, a ZANU PF loyalist who once headed the party?s Affirmative Action Group (AAG), which many observers say does nothing more than encourage looting under the guise of black empowerment.

Last year the Media Commision granted the country?s first commercial radio licenses to AB Communications? and to Zimpapers talk radio, owners of the Herald newspaper.

The composition of the Media Commission was challenged by the MDC formations and declared unconstitutional by the courts, on the basis that the board members were appointed unilaterally by ZANU PF, without any consultation.

Source: http://www.swradioafrica.com/2012/08/14/shamu-rants-against-so-called-pirate-radio-stations/

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