WASHINGTON DC —
As a group of Zimbabweans launched an independent television station Friday, President Robert Mugabe’s spokesman, George Charamba, vowed that government will do all it can to stop the station from beaming from South Africa.
1st TV, hosted by former Studio 7 and Short Wave Radio Africa reporter, Violet Gonda, and ex-Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation presenter, Themba Hove, was launched Friday in Johannesburg.
Mr. Charamba said they are going to appraoch South African president, Jacob Zuma, and ask him to bock the station, which takes advantage of the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s removal of its signal to Zimbabwe on Wiztech decorders.
“We have been aware of the technical corroboration between VOA and Sentech. What we did not expect was this expansion of that corroboration. Also we are not very sure if the South African government is aware of what its parastatal is doing to hurt Zimbabwean interests. We will pursue diplomatic channels,’’ Charamba told the state-run Herald.
Executive producer, Themba Hove told VOA Studio 7 that they are going to be impartial and therefore the Zimbabwean government should not pre-judge them.
1st TV, hosted by former Studio 7 and Short Wave Radio Africa reporter, Violet Gonda, and ex-Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation presenter, Themba Hove, was launched Friday in Johannesburg.
Mr. Charamba said they are going to appraoch South African president, Jacob Zuma, and ask him to bock the station, which takes advantage of the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s removal of its signal to Zimbabwe on Wiztech decorders.
“We have been aware of the technical corroboration between VOA and Sentech. What we did not expect was this expansion of that corroboration. Also we are not very sure if the South African government is aware of what its parastatal is doing to hurt Zimbabwean interests. We will pursue diplomatic channels,’’ Charamba told the state-run Herald.
Executive producer, Themba Hove told VOA Studio 7 that they are going to be impartial and therefore the Zimbabwean government should not pre-judge them.