ZBC TAKEN OVER BY POLITICS

Charles Mungasa has been made the new acting boss of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC). He is a big name in the Zanu PF Youth League. This is a big sign that the government is taking full control of the state media. ZBC should be a free media house, but now it is under the control of politics.

Before getting this new job, Mungasa was already part of ZBC as a board member. He is also a top leader in the Zanu PF Masvingo provincial Youth League. The board of ZBC is already filled with people linked to the ruling party. The chairperson of the board, Helliate Rushwaya, is the niece of President Emmerson Mnangagwa. This shows that ZBC is in the hands of the ruling party.

Mungasa is taking over from Assael Machakata. Machakata was the finance director before he was made interim boss. He had replaced Adelaide Chikunguru, who was first suspended and later left her job. This shows how the top leadership of ZBC keeps changing. But the one thing that does not change is how politics is always in control.

When a government fully controls media, it is called media capture. This means the media stops being free and is used to serve political interests. The government and other powerful people make sure media houses only report what they want. In Zimbabwe, this is happening not just in ZBC but in other media houses too.

There are many ways that media capture happens. One way is by controlling the rules that govern media houses. Another way is by putting political people in charge of media companies. The government also controls which media houses get advertising money. This makes private media afraid to report bad things about the ruling party because they might lose money.

At ZBC, political control is very clear. The way people are hired and fired shows that power is in the hands of the ruling party. It is not about who is best for the job, but about who is most loyal to the party. The news that comes out of ZBC is shaped by politics and not by facts. Journalists are told what to say and what not to say.

This is bad for the people of Zimbabwe. The job of journalism is to tell the truth. Journalists should inform people in an honest and fair way. They should report news that helps people understand what is really happening. But when the media is under political control, it becomes a tool for propaganda. This means people do not get the truth. Instead, they get news that is designed to make the government look good.

Zimbabwe already has very few independent media houses. Many of them struggle because they do not get support from advertisers. The ones that exist face pressure from the government. When people do not have access to real news, they cannot make good decisions about their country. Democracy needs a free press. Without it, leaders can do whatever they want without being questioned.

With Charles Mungasa now in charge of ZBC, things are not looking good. It is clear that ZBC will continue to work for the ruling party and not for the people. The media in Zimbabwe is already in a weak state. This latest move will make things even worse. It is another step towards killing press freedom in the country.

This situation raises big questions. Can Zimbabwe ever have a media that is truly independent? Can state media ever serve the people instead of politicians? Right now, the answer seems to be no. The ruling party has a strong grip on the media. Unless things change, the hope for a free and fair press in Zimbabwe will remain a dream.

The problem at ZBC is not just about one person being appointed. It is about a system that allows politicians to control the media. It is about a government that wants to control what people see and hear. Until Zimbabwe changes this system, the country will continue to have a media that does not serve the truth, but only serves those in power.