Dear All,
Please do receive below the Chairperson’s Report presented at the VMCZ Annual General Meeting held today, 26 September, 2013 at the Harare Club.
Chairperson’s Report
VMCZ Annual General Meeting , Thursday 26 September 2013, Media Centre, Harare Club, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Respected Members of VMCZ,
1. Introduction.
Let me begin by expressing my gratitude to all of you for finding the time to attend the VMCZ 2013 Annual General Meeting. Let me especially thank those from outside of Harare who had to endure long trips in order to be with us here.
The year under review has been a particularly unique one for Zimbabwe and the media industry. It saw the holding of a constitutional referendum on the COPAC draft constitution and the subsequent holding of harmonized elections. At the time of our meeting, the new constitution has been passed into law and harmonised elections have been held in terms of the national charter.
All of these significant national events and realities occurred within a context of continued political polarization which regrettably was also informed by a continuing repressive media legal framework.
As with previous years, the VMCZ has had to contend with the reality of state regulation of the media particularly as it is legislated through the establishment of the Zimbabwe Media Commission in terms of the new constitution as well as the undemocratic Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).
It however pleases me to begin my report to this important meeting with the assertion that regardless of the challenges, the VMCZ remains firmly committed to continuing its mandate of promoting and implementing democratic media self regulation.
2. The Media Context
In the year under review, the media in Zimbabwe has continued an incremental quantitative expansion particularly in the broadcasting sector and less so in the print media, which saw the introduction of the Southern Eye newspaper in Bulawayo by Alpha Media Holdings. Other print media that came into being during this period have either closed altogether or have stopped publishing for reasons that they have not publicly disclosed.
The media has also had to contend with the general invocation of criminal charges against journalists at either the instigation of government departments or person of influence in our society. This tendency has left the media profession with an understanding that while the media environment may appear more liberal, it has sadly not lost its structural repressive teeth or benevolent but paternalistic attitude toward media freedom.
While there have been quantitative incremental changes to the media in the year we are gathered to review, the stark reality has been that it is the qualitative democratic aspect of media reform that is in deficit. The specter of repressive media laws such as AIPPA, POSA and the Criminal Law codification and Reform Act hangs over the work of journalists and media houses. Add to this the multiple regulatory framework of the media has affected the ability of the media to function freely and without undue hindrance.
Examples of this multiple regulatory framework have included the Zimbabwe Media Commission, the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe, the Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority which have come to holistically affect both the registration of journalists, media houses as well as their operational capacities. It is a regulatory framework that was further compounded by the fact that during the recently concluded electoral period, even the Zimbabwe electoral Commission became an addition to this red tape structural control over the media.
The VMCZ is however aware of the provisions of the new constitution which have been lauded as somewhat progressive in that there is direct recognition in the bill of rights, Section 61 and 62 which recognize the right of all Zimbabweans to freedom of the media and access to information respectively.
It would be however wise for members to recall that the Bill of Rights does not function in isolation from other sections of the constitution. And in saying this I would like to emphasize that while these provisions in the new constitution can be deemed progressive, there remain other sections in the same national charter that would be inimical to freedom of expression.
A particular section would be Sections 248-250 which retain the Zimbabwe Media Commission with the intention to retain statutory regulation of the media. A word of caution must also me mentioned in relation to section 86(3) of the constitution which does not mention freedom of expression as right which no law should limit its enjoyment.
It however remains the view of the Board that regardless of these aforementioned challenges, there is adequate room for the VMCZ to continue its work to seek and implement democratic media self regulation in the interests of media freedom. This also includes the imperative that the VMCZ continues to engage all media stakeholders and statutory bodies that may appear skeptical about the effectiveness of media self regulation in order for them to eventually see its democratic significance and global benefit.
This is also important within the context of a newly elected government and a newly re-appointed minster of Media, Information and Broadcasting who has already indicated his ministry’s interests in pursuing a path of dialogue with media stakeholders on all matters that affect them. The VMCZ pledges to take up this new engagement framework on the basis of its mandate as well as democratic principles that value media freedom, freedom of expression and access to information.
3. Outline of VMCZ activities October 2012-September 2013.
Let me now turn to a brief outline of the major activities that the VMCZ undertook in the course of the last twelve months. I will not go into detail on all the activities but highlight ones that are of importance. The details shall be found in the published Annual report of the VMCZ which shall be availed to all members by October 4, 2013.
The three primary focus areas of the VMCZ have remained those of Media Complaints Adjudication, Media Training and Professionalism and Advocacy for Media Self Regulation in Zimbabwe.
3.1 Media Complaints Adjudication.
In this specific area the Media Complaints Committee (MCC) which is chaired by Retired Justice LG Smith received a total of 24 formal media complaints, of which 23 have been determined and the necessary remedies advised. A majority of the complaints were from influential members of society while a lower number were from ordinary members of the public.
It must be emphasized that the good work being undertaken by the MCC is the raison d’être of the VMCZ, which is to freely and publicly offer remedies to members of the public who have grievances with stories published by the mainstream media.
3.2 Media Training and Professionalism
This is a specific programme area that is managed under the tutelage of two committees. Namely the Training committee and the Ethics Committee (incorporating Gender and the Media). Both are chaired by Mr. Chinaka and Mr. Machakaire respectively.
With regards to training there were a total of 7 media training workshops that were held with one being a Training of Trainers workshop and the remaining six being in-house workshops on ‘Beyond Basics’ in tandem with election reporting. A combined total of 97 journalists (34 female and 63 male) from both the state and print media were trained under the auspices of the VMCZ.
The Ethics Committee undertook general supervision of the media during the electoral period and launched a weekly ethics column. The VMCZ also attended the World Association of Press Councils (WAPC) at the invitation of the Media Council of Kenya in May of this year and new solidarities were established with other councils. The latest activity and product to stem from the Media Ethics committee has been the study on the State of Media Ethics in Zimbabwe that was compiled by a media academic and published in early August 2013. These activities have been well received by both members of the public and members of the VMCZ.
3.3 Advocacy for Media Self Regulation
In the period under review, the VMCZ continued with the policy of engagement and lobbying relevant policy makers and policy bodies. The VMCZ interacted with members of the outgoing Parliamentary Committee on Media, Information and Communications Technologies on a proposed Media freedom and Transparency Private Members Bill which we politely disagreed with due to its intended intention to retain statutory regulation of the media.
The Board also engaged with the Zimbabwe Media Commission on the issue of the Media Council that is established in terms of AIPPA. In this particular engagement, the VMCZ worked closely with the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ) to ensure that there was a united response by media stakeholders as to the call for participation in the statutory body. The VMCZ has since advised the ZMC that it is unable to participate in the AIPPA Media Council but will continue with the policy of engagement toward an amicable solution to matters relating to media regulation.
The VMCZ also joined other media stakeholders in engaging the new Minister of Media, Information and Broadcasting last week and is looking forward to further interaction with the same ministry.
In line with its objectives of increasing public awareness of the VMCZ and the Media Complaints Mechanism, the VMCZ produced cups and calendars for distribution to media stakeholders, policy makers, members as well as the general public. Media Advertisements were also placed in newspapers of bi-monthly complaints reports and any other issues that needed publicity.
In collaboration with the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe, the VMCZ also held the annual Bornwell Chakaodza Memorial lecture on World Press Freedom Day, May 3 2013.
We have also continued with interacting with the Arts industry which is represented by our board by Mr. Daves Guzha.
3.4 Administration.
In relation to our administration, I am happy to report that the organization has managed to retain all its staff members. We are however now looking at the possibility of hiring an information officer for the next half year.
As regards our financial situation, that will be covered in the financial report which is an item on the agenda of this meeting.
Conclusion.
In conclusion let me emphasize that the challenges that are faced by the media remain numerous and directly related both to repressive media laws and a culture of repression against the media. The incremental gains that we have come to witness via the new constitution as well as in the quantitative increase of media players must however be welcomed with caution. It remains imperative that we remain steadfast in upholding the democratic values of media self regulation, media professionalism and media public accountability.
I thank you and wish you fruitful deliberations at this AGM.
A. Muchadehama
Chairperson
VMCZ Board.
Executive Director
Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe
38 Harvey Brown Avenue
Milton Park
Harare
Zimbabwe
email: director@vmcz.co.zw; programmes@vmcz.co.zw;
website: www.vmcz.co.zw
Telephone: 04708035
Mobile: +263772125658
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