Having noted adverts for expression of interest to serve in the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority Board, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Botswana Chapter, wishes to reiterate its concerns and discomfort with the new piece of legislation which repealed the Broadcasting Act of 1998.
MISA Botswana’s main concerns relate to the repudiation of a three-tier environment of Public, Private and Community broadcasting. The international standard currently prevailing in democratic societies upholds these three tier principles as a minimum requirement. The BOCRA legislation has completely disregarded this requirement. MISA Botswana and other stakeholders pointed this out when the Act was first gazetted, citing the Windhoek + 10 Declaration, commonly referred to the African Charter on Broadcasting which clearly puts this out as a minimum standard. The SADC countries subscribe to this declaration. Besides, Botswana as a country had adopted a three -tier system of broadcasting as stipulated in the Broadcasting act of 1998. The current Act, will not achieve the desired pluralism, independence and growth of broadcast media in the country.
However, the Chapter would not stand in the way of its individual members, who may be interested in serving in the BOCR board. Below are specific points regarding the shortcomings of the BOCRA legislation:
The omission of the provision for public service broadcasting
As stated above, the law that BOCRA repealed (the broadcasting act of 1998), has a provision for public service broadcasting and there has been progress towards the transformation of state media into a true public broadcaster. MPs when debating the Broadcasting policy, reiterated the call for the transformation of government-controlled broadcasters to a true Public Service Broadcaster (PSB) to serve both the needs of a general audience through programming committed to quality, innovation and serving public interest. Subsequent to this, Radio Botswana was licensed as a public broadcaster in transition and there was hope among stakeholders and the nation that Botswana Television will also follow suit.
The omission of the provision for community Radio Station
Despite the negativity, which the subject attracted during the parliamentary debates on the Broadcasting Policy, our understanding of the role of community broadcasting is that it is an empowering tool for any community that may often have issues of greater concern to themselves but such issues are ignored or insufficiently catered for by national and commercial radio and television services. The aim being to enlarge their democratic voices as well as to empower citizens and nurture local knowledge of the community rooted in human rights, social justice, environment and sustainable approaches to development.
As a media advocacy organization entrusted with a mandate to promote and defend media freedom, human rights and democratic governance, the Chapter hopes that the envisaged BOCRA board will join calls for an internationally compliant piece of legislation.
Phenyo Butale
MISA Botswana National Director
