Zim to engage Botswana over pirate radio stations

pirate radio stations

Zimbabwe will make a formal complaint to Botswana over its hosting of pirate radio stations beaming hate messages into the country

 This is in violation of the Global Political Agree-ment and threatening the survival of the inclusive Govern-ment.

Secretary for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Joey Bimha yesterday said Zimbabwe made a formal complaint last year through the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation and they would soon raise the matter with Gaborone.

"We made a complaint and the Organ said the issues should be addressed bilaterally through the Committee on Defence and Security and the Joint Permanent Commi-ssion," he said.

The matter is set to be discussed at the next meeting of the committee on Defence and Security and Joint Perma-nent Commission on a date yet to be announced.

"Since then, we have not met but the Organ was hoping that we would be able to address these issues through such forums," he said.

Yesterday, analysts condemned Botswana and Madaga-scar’s continued hosting of pirate radio stations saying this flew in the face of all Sadc principles.

The Voice of America special broadcast, Studio 7, beams illegally into Zimbabwe through Botswana while Madaga-scar plays host to another pirate radio station, Voice of the People, in violation of the International Telecommunications Union protocols.

Both countries are Sadc members — though Madagascar is presently suspended following a coup that deposed Marc Ravalomanana — while Botswana not only hosts the bloc’s secretariat, but has been badmouthing Zanu-PF over alleged failure to implement provisions of the GPA which ironically condemns the pirate broadcasts.

Legislator and political analyst, Professor Jonathan Moyo said Botswana was spiting both Sadc and the African Union as guarantors of the GPA.

"What Botswana is doing is not only a violation of the GPA and the Sadc communiqué of January 27 (2009) but a violation of International Telecommunications Union protocols.

"This issue should be brought to the notice of Sadc because the regional organ should not allow its members to undermine the same GPA it guaranteed."

He said the issue of pirate radio stations was serious and had affected the moral fabric of Zimbabwean society.

"This is a serious issue by any stretch of the imagination. The pirate radio stations, together with the Prime Minister’s newsletter, have become the leading propaganda mouthpieces of the parallel government set up by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai," Prof Moyo said.

Dr Maxwell Hove said Botswana’s stance was not surprising if that country’s history was to be considered.

He said Botswana’s history did not fall in the same bracket as other Sadc members that got independence through protracted wars against white racist regimes.

"Botswana got its independence through negotiations and it wants MDC-T to take power in Zimbabwe.

"It must be noted that MDC-T and Botswana share the

same Western parentage and the hosting of pirate radio stations should not be a surprise to Zimbabwe," Dr Hove said.

Another observer, Mr Masimba Musariri, said hosting pirate radio stations showed Botswana was part of the illegal regime change lobby.

"The pirate radio stations are meant to exert pressure on Zimbabwe so that Government can succumb to the regime change agenda."

Pirate radio stations are one of the main outstanding issues in the implementation of the GPA.

Zanu-PF, MDC-T and MDC negotiators have been meeting over the past week to resolve the outstanding issues.

A team of South African facilitators appointed by President Jacob Zuma, which was in Zimbabwe to assess progress, left the country yesterday saying they were "happy with the job they had done".

They are due to brief President Zuma who will in turn liaise with the chair of the Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security President Armando Guebuza of Mozambique on the way forward.

At its meeting in Mozambique last month, the Organ was made to understand that there were eight outstanding issues to the GPA; with four each emanating from Zanu-PF and MDC-T.

However, these have since ballooned to 21 with virtually all the new additions coming from MDC-T and the visiting South African team is understood to have queried if there was real commitment to finalise matters.

Apart from pirate radio broadcasts of hate messages, an issue sources said seized negotiators was that of the reported establishment of parallel government structures in the PM’s Office.

The Public Service Commission has since said members of the parallel government will be barred from entering Government offices.