Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), the national broadcast company in Zimbabwe, was launched last century as Rhodesian Broadcasting Corporation (RBC). The Southern Rhodesia Broadcasting Service (SRBS) was established in 1941. Television was introduced in 1960. ZBC has been operating under its current name since 1980.
Media assets
Television: ZBC TV, Jive TV
Radio: National FM, Radio Zimbabwe, Power FM, Classic 263, Khulumani FM, 95.8 Central Radio
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
ZBC is a private limited company owned by the Government. The company was established by the Broadcasting Services Act. The government appoints the ZBC Board after consultations with the country’s President. The last time the ZBC Board was appointed was in 2019.
In February 2024, ZBC’s CEO Adelaide Chikunguru was fired for alleged accusations of financial mismanagement and poor corporate governance practices. Chikunguru had clashed with the earlier newly-appointed ZBC board chairperson, Helliate Rushwaya, a niece of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Source of funding & budget
ZBC is financed through a combination of license fees that most of the country’s households are obliged to pay and revenues generated through advertising sales. However, as only 10% of Zimbabwe’s population pays the fee, the corporation has been accruing losses that the government has to cover. For example, in 2019, ZBC expected to collect some ZWL 220m (US$ 607,000) from license fees, but it only got ZWL 10m. Another ZWL 34m was generated through advertising.
The government has been trying to turn ZBC into a profit-making media outlet, but the broadcaster’s board called on the government in 2020 to restore its state funding to support the broadcaster. The government in March 2020 announced that it began to review the level of license fee for ZBC. In January 2021, the broadcaster significantly hiked the level of the license fee as it intends to become financially sustainable through public support. License fees are expected to cover 80% of the station’s annual budget.
Yet, the situation hasn’t improved. In Q4 2021, ZBC had total debts of ZWL 66m. The media committee in the Zimbabwean parliament called on the government to underwrite this debt. In its strategy covering the period 2022-2025, ZBC states that it aims to become a profitable company able to pay dividends by the end of 2025.
However, the increase in license fee level has not yet produced the expected results. Moreover, given the political influence at ZBC, the license fee is harshly criticized by some NGOs and politicians. In 2023, calls to scrap the license fee have intensified.
In September 2022, the management of the ZBC claimed that the revenue generation markedly improved, the company reporting revenues of ZWL 1.4bn (US$ 3.8m) YTD.
In a separate development in May 2024, the idea to make the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) responsible for the collection of the ZBC fee was floated by an MP.
Editorial independence
ZBC is known as a broadcaster that promotes government policies. Its coverage is overtly biased towards the government. Accusations of biased reporting are rife, appearing in some cases in the High Court’s rules and findings. Reports in the local media describe ZBC as a broadcaster tightly controlled by the ruling Zanu PF party.
In March 2024, for example, it was reported that the ZBC’s editorial team would be reshuffled as a newly-appointed board led by Helliate Rushwaya was planning a major restructuring at the station.
No statute and no independent assessment/oversight mechanism that establishes independence of ZBC have been identified.
June 2024