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Zimbabwe: South African Company Faces Illegal Importation Charges
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SW Radio Africa (London)
18 July 2008
Posted to the web 18 July 2008
Alex Bell
South African company, Globecast Satellite, whose two employees were acquitted of reporting on the March elections without accreditation, is now being charged with the illegal importation of broadcasting equipment.
The company's technicians, Sipho Maseko and Abdulla Gaibee, were acquitted by an Harare magistrate after they were arrested on March 28th for contravening the Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The pair was rearrested outside the court under the premise that the ruling was not "proper", but the men were later released in April.
Globecast is now in a court battle to prove it was not in violation of Zimbabwe's Broadcasting Services Act, after it was invited to the country to provide a satellite uplink during the controversial March elections.
The court heard on Tuesday that Globecast used its satellite uplink to air an interview done by CNN with the Minister of Information and Publicity Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, without the knowledge of Zimbabwe's Transmedia Corporation, who provided Globecast's operating licence.
Acting Chief Executive for Transmedia, Cloud Nyamundanda, told the court that Globecast was in breach of the contract with his corporation as they provided the satellite uplink in the absence of an engineer from Transmedia. He also argued that Globecast started transmitting a day before their contract allowed them to.
Globecast managing director, Melanie Gibb told Newsreel on Friday that the charges came as a surprise because the company has "worked with Transmedia on several occasions for other elections and sporting events" and the contract over the March elections was the same as previous working agreements. She said she was concerned because the "CEO we usually deal with has not been heard of or seen since the elections" and the group has no working history with the acting CEO, Nyamundanda.
Nyamundanda, during Tuesday's court proceedings, failed to explain how Globecast would have known that they were not supposed to commence transmission services before the 28th March when it had not been communicated to them.
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The trial is expected to continue on 22nd July when more witnesses, including the Minister of Information and Publicity, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, are expected to give evidence.
Pathetic, what else can I say.
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