Very unpalatable to hear – Mudenda slams ZTV, Star FM over ‘pedantic and pedestrian’ content

PARLIAMENT Speaker Jacob Mudenda has criticised what he described as “pedantic and pedestrian” content on national broadcaster ZTV and radio stations, warning that their poor-quality programming is damaging Zimbabwe’s image and undermining indigenous languages.

Speaking in Bulawayo on Thursday during the ongoing 2027 Pre-Budget Seminar, Mudenda said he had instructed his aide and driver to listen to some of the broadcasts, which he described as “not constructive of the image of Zimbabwe” and “very poor”.

He singled out presenters on Star FM and ZTV, whom he referred to as “little fellows”, accusing them of lacking cultural appreciation and using language that was “very, very unpalatable to hear”.

“There are certain words you cannot use in the public domain, and you must respect the listeners accordingly. ZTV and our radio should be used to brand Zimbabwe,” Mudenda said.

He said he was particularly concerned about what he viewed as the disrespectful treatment of indigenous languages.

“They send a rough message… ‘ndokusendera, chii chocho’,” Mudenda said, questioning the use of such expressions and arguing that they were contributing to the erosion of mother tongues.

The Speaker warned that Zimbabwe risked losing its cultural identity within the next 50 years if the trend continued.

“Honourable Minister (Soda Zhemu), can you imagine what will happen in the next 50 years if we follow this kind of broadcast? We have the language? So they should appear and speak our beautiful mother tongue, so that our mother tongues are preserved for posterity,” he said.

“Language defines our dignity. Language defines our identity. You do not define yourself when you talk about ‘unondisendira’. This must stop,” Mudenda added.

He called on the Ministries of Sports and Education to develop a policy promoting national pride in indigenous languages and encouraging their proper use in broadcasting.

“Otherwise, in the next 50 years we have no identity at all. Our Shona will be Chiraparapa, our Tonga will be Chiraparapa, our Kalanga will be Chiraparapa. Zimbabwe cannot afford to identify itself as a Chiraparapa linguistic nation. That has to stop. Please save us,” he said.

The post Very unpalatable to hear – Mudenda slams ZTV, Star FM over ‘pedantic and pedestrian’ content appeared first on NewZimbabwe.com.