04/06/2025
Firstly, the widespread claim that all cars in Zimbabwe, even those without radios, are now mandated to acquire a ZBC radio licence is false. The amended Section 13 explicitly exempts vehicles not equipped with a radio receiver, requiring only a signed declaration from the owner. For cars with radios, a ZBC license or a valid exemption certificate is required to obtain a ZINARA motor vehicle licence or insurance.
Secondly, the assertion that the fee for car radio licences is a new levy of $23 per quarter, totaling $92 per year, is also false. These fees are not new; they have been in place since 2021, as gazetted by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe's SI 2021-023. The novelty lies solely in the linking of ZINARA motor vehicle license and insurance policy issuance to the possession of a ZBC radio licence or a valid exemption/declaration.
Finally, regarding the constitutionality of mandatory ZBC licence payments, the claim that the court ruled the law valid is true. The Constitutional Court has, on multiple occasions (e.g., in Majome vs ZBC and others and Benard Wekare vs The State and others), upheld the validity of mandatory broadcasting licence fees. The court has consistently maintained that possessing a radio or television receiver necessitates payment of the licence fee, irrespective of an individual's preference for ZBC content or perceived quality. The rationale provided is that such fees, akin to taxes, serve a public purpose and are not contingent on direct personal benefit or satisfaction with the broadcaster's programming. Therefore, legal challenges based on freedom of choice or dissatisfaction with content have been dismissed.
On 23 May 2005, an amendment to the Broadcasting Services Act was gazetted. One particular provision – car radio licensing – became a popular topic for debate on social media streets. The feedback ranged from accusations that the public broadcaster, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, is ......
