New radio levy sparks anger

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has signed into law a contentious Bill that requires all motorists to buy a radio licence before acquiring vehicle insurance, reports BBC News. There has been an outcry from some motorists as they will now have to pay $92 annually in order to listen to the radio in their vehicles. The introduction of the measure is part of a plan to widen revenue sources for the state broadcaster but critics say the licence fee is too high, especially given the difficult economic situation. Leading opposition figure Nelson Chamisa said the new law was ‘too draconian, anti-citizens and outrightly heartless’. Nick Mangwana, a senior official in the Ministry of Information, said there are about 1.2m registered cars in the country but only 800 000 of them pay insurance. The loss-making Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) relies on the licence fee as well as government grants for revenue, although it generates some revenue through advertising. But the broadcaster is struggling to get people pay for their TV and radio licences. Critics have been calling for the scrapping of the fee, accusing ZBC of biased coverage in favour of the governing Zanu-PF. Under the new Broadcasting Services Amendment Act, all motorists must now pay the radio licence fee before they can renew their vehicle insurance or obtain a licence from the Zimbabwe National Road Authority.