Secondly, the uncertainty of renewal means that strategic planning for programmes is always short term, making it difficult to generate much popularity among audiences and goodwill from advertisers and other clients. The risks simply outweigh the benefits. Thirdly, it means that since broadcasting is a capital intensive venture, potential investors have to borrow finance from banks and other lending institutions, but with the current risks associated with the venture, a few financial institutions will be likely to lend out their monies to prospective broadcasters. The end result of all these impractical terms and conditions is to maintain the state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings (ZBH) monopoly on the airwaves by proxy, which is a clear case of contempt of the Supreme Court on the part of the government. The mirage liberalisation created by this Act is abnormal considering that the world over, governments take cognisance of the fact that broadcasting is a long-term business venture, thus allow for longer license periods. In South Africa, for example, community broadcasting licences are valid for four years, while television and radio broadcasting licences are valid for eight and six years, respectively (refer to section 54 of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Act of South Africa). Signal carrier licences: To compound the Zimbabwean situation, no holder of a broadcasting licence (other than 1 Transmedia, wholly owned by the state ) is allowed to hold a signal carrier license. This means that both commercial and community broadcasters’ activities will be limited to only producing programmes (or buying pre-produced programmes) and then sending these programmes to either Transmedia for transmission or to the new signal carrier licensee to be introduced at the mercy of the Minister of Information. The splitting of broadcasting between producers of programmes and signal carriers unnecessarily interferes with the right to freedom of expression. In addition, it creates a very risky investment environment. Further, signal carriers are not obliged to flight programmes submitted to them by broadcasters. It is therefore possible for a signal carrier to interfere with the nature and content of broadcasts. In practice, all broadcasters will be obliged to enter into lease agreements with Transmedia seeing that the government will not be issuing any private signal carrier licences any time soon. This will constitute an immeasurably costly exercise for all broadcasters, particularly community broadcasters. This situation compares unfavourably with the South African example where all licensed broadcasters are also free to apply for a signal carrier licence. Finally, the BSA states that only one signal carrier licence – again valid for only two years – will be issued nationally. It is impractical to expect that the prospective holder of such a licence will have purchased very expensive signal carrying equipment worth billions of dollars, only to be told after two years that their licence has been revoked or will not be renewed because the Minister of Information said so. In South Africa, a common signal carrier licence is valid for 15 years and a signal carrier licence given to a commercial broadcaster is valid for eight years (see section 38 of the South African IBA Act). Zimbabwe’s licence tenure periods stifle growth of a viable and plural electronic mass media service industry. It is also arguable that the licence periods are designed to maintain the broadcasting monopoly currently enjoyed by the government in the sector, and are therefore designed to discourage entry. Ends. 1 Transmedia was born out of the split of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) under the ZVC Commercialisation Act of 2001. While Transmedia carries out signal work, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings born out of this law is the state broadcaster. -3-