State media will not be regulated

If passed, it will repeal the National Broadcasting Act, which presently licenses public and private broadcasting activities, as well as the Botswana Telecommunications Authority (BTA) Act. Speaking at the opening of a two-day broadcasting conference recently, the chairperson of National Broadcasting Board (NBB) Dr Masego Mpotokwane said regulating the state media had been a challenge as the Department of Broadcasting Services (DBS), which houses the two government controlled radio stations, Radio Botswana 1 and 2, as well as the Botswana Television (Btv), is not only supervised through the Broadcasting Act but through the Public Service Act.

The NBB which will be dissolved by the new law if passed was condemned for failing to regulate state media, particularly during election time. Opposition parties complained that the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) abused the state media to their disadvantage.