By Paul Nyathi

A defiant ZANU PF has reintroduced its notorious half hourly jingles on national radios and television.

At a time when opposition parties and the international community are demanding for the opening of the airwaves ahead of this year’s elections, the ruling party has extended its monopoly of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation by reintroducing its very partisan jingles soliciting the nation to vote for them.

The new jingles typical of the “Hondo Yeminda” jingles that patronized Zimbabweans ahead of the 2005 and the 2008 elections are played almost simultaneously on all ZBC radio stations every thirty minutes.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa last week declared that his government will only open the airwaves after the elections.

The U.S. government this week also decided to extend its sanctions on Zimbabwe under the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act ZIDERA with one of the reasons being that the government is not willing to open the airwaves for a free campaign by other opposition parties.