(Last Updated on October 2, 2015 by Editor)
ZIMBABWE – Harare – Forget Zimbabwe’s oppressive media laws, this time baboons were to blame for taking a radio station off air.
Staff at YA FM in the mining town Zvishavane, south of Harare, believed they had been hit by a power cut when the station fell into silence earlier this week, station head Munyaradzi Hwengwere told dpa on Thursday.
“Everyone panicked when there was silence,” Hwengwere said.
“When we confirmed that it was not power cuts, engineers went all over until we discovered that transmission cables had been cut in the mountain where our tower is. Some baboons were still there and we started rectifying the problem.”
Hwengwere said the incident, which affected broadcasting for about an hour, was “a learning experience”.
Zimbabwe’s government, led by President Robert Mugabe, has frequently been accused of using oppressive media laws and intimidation to silence its critics.