Thabiso Nxumalo
Radio listeners in Manicaland received a major boost after the Broadcasting Services Authority (BAZ) awarded three community radio station licenses out of the eight stations countrywide on September 15, 2021.
According to a press release by BAZ on September 15, Manicaland got the biggest chunk after three stations were awarded licenses to add up to the province’s sole station Diamond FM making it four stations covering the 1.8 million population in seven districts.
“The three stations given the green light are Chimanimani Community Radio Station Trust which covers CRS 4A: Chimanimani, Gwendingwe and Rusitu. While Vemuganga Community Radio Trust covers CRS4B: Chipinge-Checheche and Chibuwe. Ndau community Radio Trust covers CRS4C: Mahenye (Garahwa),” reads part of the press release.
This move comes as a boost to communities such as Checheche who would get the opportunity to air their voices concerning issues like service delivery at community level before relaying them to national level.
Vemuganga Radio Production Officer Effort Manono expressed jubilation and says the sky is the limit for the community as they would broadcast mainly in their vernacular Ndau.
“We are very much pleased for such an opportunity. It has been long coming, we are raring to go and as such we are promising our listeners the best programming in Ndau language,” said Manono.
Ndau Community radio chairperson Donald Kumbana also was in high spirits and said the community had waited so long for this to happen hence they are moving as fast as they can to complete building the station and promised to give update upon completion saying this was a great way of communicating given to them by BAZ.
“In our area, network is a big problem and on behalf of the whole community we are very grateful for this opportunity because communication will be made easy and our voices will be heard for once.
“Yes, we will broadcast mostly in Ndau but we are very diverse we will by all means get to accommodate other ethnic groups in the country. We are working full time ahead in our station building project and now that we have been granted the license, I am positive that all stakeholders involved are more than encouraged,” said Kumbana.
Such advancements have been described as an asset to communities in times of crises such as the 2019 Cyclone Idai whose far-reaching effects included the sweeping of over 400 people and displacement of tens of thousands, which could have been minimised by community radio stations.
