ZNBC has not been merged with Topstar -Siliya

Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Dora Siliya has clarified that ZNBC has not merged with TopStar contrary assertions.

Ms Siliya explains that the conditional authorization to the proposed merger of ZNBC and Star times granted by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is merely a merger of interests in a joint venture and not of two independent institutions.

In a ministerial statement to Parliament, Ms. Siliya says being a statutory body created by an Act of Parliament; it’s not possible that any other institution can have shares in ZNBC.

She says any change of shareholding in ZNBC would have to be made by Parliament.

Ms Siliya, however, states that ZNBC as an institution can pursue business interests and acquire shares in other interests, but that nobody can acquire shares in the public broadcaster.

The Minister has since stated that TopStar has no shareholding in ZNBC, but that ZNBC has 40 percent shareholding in TopStar.