Mutsvangwa castigates media over sub-Saharan Africa reporting

INFORMATION minister Monica Mutsvangwa (pictured) yesterday castigated the media for framing sub-Saharan Africa as poorly-run resulting in foreign intervention.

Mutsvangwa made the remarks while presenting a mass media, public opinion and foreign policy paper at the Zimbabwe Defence University in Harare.

“The framing of sub-Saharan Africa in global media constantly depicts us in the mould of vulnerability, indigence and inane incapacity, thus justifying the need to intervene under dubious provisions such as the responsibility to protect that were used in the case of Libya, which by the way now lies in ruins,” Mutsvangwa said.

Libya was plunged into an armed conflict in 2011 following an uprising that led to the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation joined rebel groups as part of efforts to oust Gaddafi.

The former leader was captured in his hometown of Sirte and killed by his captors. Libya is currently split with rival governments holding different parts of the country.

Mutsvangwa claimed that President Emmerson Mnangagwa has opened up media space by liberalising the airwaves despite concerns from critics of shrinking democratic space.

“The advent of the second republic has witnessed a further opening up of the media space. We have been walking our talk. We managed to license six commercial televisions and 16 community radios.” Mutsvangwa said.

Government licensed eight community radio stations in September last year.

But a number of those that got the initial licences are still to start their broadcasting amid concerns from critics that there is a shrinking democratic space under Mnangagwa.

Mutsvangwa said: “More licences have been granted to both television and radio operators, mostly private investors. This will enable fuller and intended use of the frequency spectrum in line with global technological advances.”