By 
By Ross Moyo
An expert has called for the pausing of the vehicle radio license in order to rethink and review it in light of the digital and technological world upon us.With institutional fundings, like toll fees and the Universal Service fund (supported by players through Postal and Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe [POTRAZ]), government’s new legislation to first obtain a valid car radio license before renewing their vehicle license may be justified using the current model.
Information and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary Ndavaningi Mangwana, had a back and forth with the original creator of the initial law of 2001, former Information Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo who said while he still supports the public funding of national broadcasters, he however believes it would be in the public and national interest to pause the implementation of the car radio licence.
Responding to government spokesman Mangwana on X space, formerly Twitter, Professor Moyo said;
“It would be in both the public and national interest to pause the implementation of the car radio license in order to rethink it, but to also review the very idea of a radio and television license in a digital world.”
The former Zimbabwe’s Information Czar said categorically,
“As good practice from around the world shows, the broadcasting licence fee remains necessary to support public broadcasting.
“The beneficiaries of a broadcasting licence fee should always be public broadcasters; not private broadcasters, who, in fact, need to be obligated to contribute to public broadcasting as part of their licence conditions.
“The challenge for a broadcasting licence fee nowadays is how to structure it, perhaps as a tax, taking into account the rapid and massive technological and social transformation taking place.”
PS Mangwana however defended government’s intention to implement the policy immediately, with funds collected going towards developing the broadcasting sector.
Mangwana said that the main beneficiaries will be ZBC and Transmedia, the national signal carrier, adding,
potraz director general dr gift kalisto machengete
“1. ZBC has a public service obligation and that a fact and this is one way of funding them. This is standard practice
2. Indeed there is need to look at the fees to be charged and the Minister is ceased with the matter and currently working on that.
3. capacitation of Transmedia will mean that all broadcasters will indirectly benefit from the funds as the tarrifs charged by Transmedia will be reduced and hence improving the ease of doing business in the sector.
4. Transmedia will also be capacitated in such a way that they will be able to deploy transmission infrastructure to unserved and underserved areas and hence benefiting broadcasters as well as Zimbabwean citizens to access broadcasting services.
5. For signal distribution to all the sites accross the country for both TV and Radio, satellite technology is being used and therefore there is need to pay for capacity reserved for the nation to service providers. The funds collected will be used to pay for this service thereby removing the high cost of operation on the broadcasters.
6. In future we might consider scrapping the home receiver license and the licensing regime will be revised from time to time depending on technological changes.
Professor Moyo’s input may be from an informed position as the expert behind craft of the 2001 legislation requiring motorists to pay for car radio licences, now calling on the government to pause the law, saying it is outdated in today’s digital age.
Their debate on X only emboldened government’s move to strengthen fee collection, despite Moyo arguing that the original rationale behind radio and television licence fees, based on ownership of specific devices like radios or TVs, no longer applies in an era of digital convergence.
Motorists must now pay for a radio licence before they can renew vehicle licences with ZINARA or purchase vehicle insurance under the Broadcasting Services Amendment Act of 2025.
Professor Moyo has nevertheless acknowledged that while the new enforcement method is a major improvement in efficiency, it has come “almost a quarter of a century too late,” with Zimbabwe being perhaps one of few countries in the world that still requires motorists to pay radio licence fees.
Comments