/ARTS WEEKLY/MUSIC-ZIMBABWE: Decision to Scrap Import Duty Welcomed

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Hilary K Siyachitema

HARARE, Mar 25 2003 (IPS) - Artists have welcomed a recent decision by the government of Zimbabwe to scrap import duty on all musical, film and video equipment.

The move to scrap of the duty will compliment the Broadcasting Act introduced by the government of President Robert Mugabe last year, they say.

Under the act, formulated by the minister of information, Jonathan Moyo, three quarters of programmes will be local content to give musicians and artists the chance to air their work on radio and television.

Artists say the move to scrap of the duty on film and music equipment will go a long way in improving Zimbabwe’s fragile entertainment industry.

Music is a source of income for most artists in Zimbabwe. More than 100 artists eke a living out of it.

For the new Act to operate smoothly, however, stakeholders have urged the government to ensure that consumers get the right information.

”This is a wonderful move by government and we can now look forward to quality programming. However we need more information, we need to know what sort of equipment can be imported duty free. We are asking ourselves if this includes consumables such as tapes and compact discs because these are the most expensive – since they are not locally manufactured in Zimbabwe,” says Peggy Banda Mvududu, of Mighty Movies, a music firm in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe.

”To me as a producer, and certainly for everyone in the entertainment sector, the move means growth and development for the industry,” says Delani Makalima, who runs a music company in Harare.

He says: ”We still have a few hurdles to overcome. We now have to worry about where to get foreign currency and that is an uphill task at the moment. We hope that government can assist us in future by setting up funds that can help those in the entertainment industry”.

Karen Ndhlovu, a music fan in Harare, says she hopes ”the Act will improve Zimbabwe’s entertainment industry”.

Most entertainers in Zimbabwe depend on, or hire, musical instruments and video and film equipment from neighbouring South Africa.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), the country’s main opposition party, has ridiculed government’s decision to waive the duty.

”Other measures, such as the scrapping of import duty on musical, video and film equipment under the economic revival programme do not materially enhance economic recovery,” says MDC in a statement.

” . one is excused to think that the move is aimed at recapitalising the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) in the absence of broadcasting competition. In this regard the measure was meant for a state institution,” the MDC says.

The state-run ZBC is the sole broadcaster in Zimbabwe, after the license of ‘Joy TV’, an independent broadcaster, expired, and the government refused to renew it, in May 2002.

To break even, artists have called on consumers – although 75 percent Zimbabwe’s population live below the poverty line of one U.S. dollar a day – to support them.

”We need local appreciation to improve show business in Zimbabwe. Our entertainers need support from Zimbabweans and who knows, one day, some Zimbabwean musicians could be nominated for a Grammy award,” Makalima says.