MACRA criticised over Zodiak’s K930,000 penalty

The Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has faced criticism for handing local radio station Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS) a K930,000 fine over an interview with opposition lawmaker Kamlepo Kalua.

The media regulator earlier wrote the radio station on the interview arguing that the station contravened the Communications Act.

And giving a verdict on the matter this week, MACRA demanded money as a fine for the contravention of the act.

However a local civil society organization has criticised the media regulator arguing that it has been geared to suppress private media in the country.

Center for Development of People executive director Gift Trapence said the conduct is a “threat to democratic principles”.

“For us civil society organizations we are worried on the way MACRA has been conducting on the private media and I think their conduct is not in line with democratic principles, previously we also wrote the UN on MACRA’s behavior.”

“We are also worried that MACRA has been used as a tool to suppress freedom of the media let alone we have a public broadcaster that has not been complying with the ethics and it has been used as a propaganda tool for the government,” said Trapence.

MACRA is yet to take a position on the allegations made.

In the interview, Kalua claimed that the ruling Democratic Progress Party (DPP) was on the move to have opponents killed and that the party had a hand in the death of Malawi Polytechnic student Robert Chasowa.

Kalua also claimed that the United Democratic Front (UDF) had a hand in the death of the musician Evison Matafale.