Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) Botswana hosting pirate radio stations beaming into Zim

Botswana hosting pirate radio stations beaming into Zim
Floyd Nkomo (and sources)
Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:12:00 +0000

BOTSWANA has been hosting pirate radio stations beaming hate messages into Zimbabwe, a discovery that is likely to cause diplomatic tension between the two countries.

Reports from Harare, Zimbabwe's capital say Zimbabwe's northeastern neighbour, by hosting these stations, is violating the Global Political Agreement (GPA) signed on September 11 2008 by President Mugabe, MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai and MDC-M leader Professor Arthur Mutambara.

The Zanu PF party issued a statement Tuesday saying Botswana's actions are threatening the survival of the inclusive Government.

The country is also in violation of Sadc resolutions on Zimbabwe, to which it is party. Sadc is the guarantor of the GPA and mediating the all-party talks.

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

"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 Commission," he said.

According to state media reports, the matter is set to be discussed at the next meeting of the committee on Defence and Security and Joint Permanent 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," Bimha said.

A report in the state-run Herald newspaper cites analysts condemning Botswana and Madagascar’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 Madagascar plays host to another pirate radio station, Voice of the People, in violation of the International Telecommunications Union protocols," says a report in the daily.

"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."

Former information minister 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.

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".

Labels: BOTSWANA, COLOUR REVOLUTIONS, GLOBAL POLITICAL AGREEMENT, PROPAGANDA

posted by MrK @ 12:29 AM