Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC)

Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) is the official state broadcaster of the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, covering both Unguja and Pemba islands, as well as parts of Dar es Salaam on mainland Tanzania. ZBC’s broadcast lineage stretches back to Sauti ya Unguja, the Voice of Zanzibar, launched in 1951 using rudimentary equipment, a Spartan gramophone, a microphone, and a mixing scale from an old public-address amplifier, and broadcasting for an hour each day from 5pm to 6pm to a small island audience. After the 1964 Union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, the station was renamed Sauti ya Tanzania Zanzibar (STZ).

Television was inaugurated on 12 January 1974, when Television Zanzibar (TVZ) went on air following a trial period that began on 9 March 1973. Housed initially in the Municipal Hall (today Karume House) and equipped by the London-based PYE TVT under contract with the Revolutionary Government, TVZ is described by ZBC as Africa’s first colour television network. The platform’s editorial direction was set out on 3 October 1977 in President Aboud Jumbe’s TV guidelines speech, in which he characterised television in Zanzibar as “an investment in development, a tool by means of which our people can enhance their own development”, a foundational text in Tanzanian media policy alongside President Julius Nyerere’s 1970 press charter.

The Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation in its current institutional form was officially established in 2013, after the Zanzibar House of Representatives passed a bill signed by the President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, Ali Mohammed Shein, on 19 April 2013 as the Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation Act, 2013 (Act No. 4 of 2013). ZBC consolidates Zanzibar’s public radio and television operations under a single corporate umbrella and serves as the principal communications channel of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar.

Media assets

Television: TVZ / ZBC TV; Spice TV / Spice Media

Radio: ZBC Radio; Spice FM (97.8 FM)

Ownership and governance

ZBC is established under the Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation Act, 2013. Under this framework, the President of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar appoints the Director General and the Chairperson of the Board, while other board members are appointed through ministerial and government channels. The responsible minister retains powers to issue general or specific directions to the board. The legal framework refers to ZBC’s public-service functions and editorial responsibilities, but it does not establish an autonomous appointment model, an independent editorial-oversight body, or safeguards comparable to a genuine public-service broadcaster.

In April 2023, President Hussein Ali Mwinyi appointed Ramadhani A. Bukini as ZBC’s Director General. Prior to this role, Bukini served as the head of Plus Networks, a private media company; his appointment was viewed by independent media observers as consolidating political influence over the broadcaster’s leadership. ZBC’s own corporate “About” page is signed by Ramadhani A. Bukini as Director General. In November 2023, ZBC signed a 60-day public-information partnership with Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL) on the 60th anniversary of the Zanzibar Revolution, with Bukini and MCL Executive Editor Victor Mushi appearing jointly at the launch in Dar es Salaam. The composition of the current ZBC Board of Directors has not been comprehensively disclosed in publicly available reporting.

Broadcasting and content regulation in Zanzibar is primarily handled under Zanzibar’s own broadcasting framework, including the Zanzibar Broadcasting Commission; legal analysis notes that the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority Act does not apply to Zanzibar in respect of broadcasting and content matters. Union-level communications and cyber laws, including the Cybercrimes Act and the Electronic and Postal Communications Act, continue to shape parts of the broader digital and communications environment in which ZBC operates.

Source of funding and budget

ZBC appears primarily state-funded, with operations underwritten by allocations from the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar. The Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation Act, 2013 also permits ZBC to derive revenue from commercial activities, loans, donations, grants, and other resources, and the corporation supplements its operating budget through occasional contributions from development partners and non-governmental organisations. No detailed public financial statements were identified in this review; the scope and structure of ZBC’s annual budget, including capital and recurrent expenditure, are not subject to public disclosure.

Editorial independence

ZBC’s editorial output closely echoes the priorities and messaging of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party in Zanzibar and of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar. Independent journalists and civil society organisations regard the broadcaster with scepticism, often citing its lack of editorial autonomy and its role in reinforcing state narratives. There is no internal editorial statute that guarantees impartiality, and no external oversight mechanism exists to evaluate or enforce editorial standards. The most direct documentary evidence of ZBC’s structural alignment with the ruling party comes from the 2015 European Union Election Observation Mission to Tanzania, which found that during the 2015 campaign period ZBC TV and ZBC Radio devoted 70% and 72% of their news coverage, respectively, to CCM. No public ZBC-specific 2025 election-monitoring report was identified in this review, but ZBC’s legal and governance structure provides little protection against continued official editorial alignment.

AI and digital policy

ZBC maintains a digital presence centred on its zbc.go.tz corporate site, the @zbcznz Facebook page, the Zbc Zanzibar YouTube channel, and accounts on X, Instagram, and WhatsApp, alongside RSS feeds. No public-facing ZBC policy on AI-generated content, synthetic-media disclosure, or content provenance frameworks such as C2PA was identified in this review. At the Union policy level, the Cybercrimes Act, the Electronic and Postal Communications Act, and Union-level online-content regulations continue to shape parts of the wider digital environment, while Zanzibar’s own legal framework governs ZBC’s broadcasting and content operations directly.

May 2026