By Paul Nyathi|Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) CEO, Patrick Mavhura has assured the nation and the international community that the national broadcaster is ready to beam live the Constitutional Court ruling on the presidential elections contest set for Wednesday.
Mavhura said ZBC is also ready to provide feed to other local and international broadcasters who wish to subscribe with the state broadcaster.

“We are ready and I can categorically state that we have the technical capacity to broadcast live the Constitutional Court proceedings. We have been doing this, we have the state of the art high definition equipment which can provide feed to other broadcasters. I also want to assure other stations that we will provide telecasting that is direct feed without ZBC’s comments, already we have started broadcasting live our new and current affairs from the Constitutional Court so we are ready,” said Mavhura.

The ZBC is likely to make a killing after securing a front row seat and monopoly to carry the signal of the July 30 presidential results challenge set for today at the Constitutional Court (ConCourt).

ZBC, after being handed sole rights to broadcast the court proceedings, has gone out charging up to $13 000 for a live signal per day on television and $5 000 for radio broadcast, a move that triggered an outcry from industry players.

Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa)-Zimbabwe, through an urgent application at the ConCourt heard in chambers, immediately challenged the monopoly granted to ZBC.

The media advocacy group argued that the national broadcaster had no capacity to efficiently carry the signal and lacked sufficient reach.

Chief Justice Luke Malaba heard the matter, which was opposed by President-elect Emmerson Mnangagwa and dismissed it with punitive costs to be paid by Misa-Zimbabwe.

Mnangagwa’s lawyer, Paul Mangwana said the victory was a sign of things to come in the main challenge.

“We defeated them today (Tuesday). This is a sign of what is going to happen in the main challenge, we are in high spirits after this victory.”