State media will not be regulated
Thursday, November 24, 2011
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.
March 28 will go down as a day that Batswana will never forget because of the accident that occurred near Mmamatlakala in Limpopo, South Africa. The tragedy affected not only the grieving families but the nation at large. Batswana throughout the process stood behind the grieving families and the governments of Botswana and South Africa need much more than a pat on the back.Last Saturday was a day when family members said their last goodbyes to...