The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has dismissed allegations that the revocation of Rainbow Television’s broadcasting license was politically motivated, clarifying that the decision was purely due to non-compliance with financial obligations.
The clarification follows claims made by Prophet Shepherd Bushiri during an interview aired on Zodiak Television on February 6, 2025.
In the interview, Bushiri said Rainbow Television’s license was revoked despite settling its outstanding fees and insinuated that the decision was politically influenced.
However, MACRA Director General Daudi Suleman has refuted these claims through a press statement, stating: “The decision was solely due to its failure to comply with its financial obligations and was not influenced by politics, something that is outside MACRA’s regulatory mandate.”
According to MACRA, Rainbow Television’s license was revoked on June 8, 2022, due to non-payment of K14.93 million in outstanding license fees, an amount that was later reduced to K10 million.
Despite being granted multiple opportunities to settle the debt, the broadcaster failed to meet the May 31, 2022 deadline.
“Rainbow Television failed to meet the May 31, 2022, deadline for payment, despite a prior commitment to do so before the MACRA Board. This action was solely due to its failure to comply with its financial obligations,” the statement reads.
MACRA has also dismissed Bushiri’s assertion that he was the owner of Rainbow Television, clarifying that he was not the registered owner of the station.
“Our records confirm Prophet Bushiri was not the registered owner of the television station and, therefore, he is not a party to any conversations concerning Rainbow TV and MACRA,” the regulator stated.
Following the revocation, Rainbow Television filed for judicial review in the High Court of Malawi, arguing that the decision was unfair.
However, the court dismissed the case, ruling that there was no valid basis for judicial review.
On July 8, 2022, High Court Justice M.A. Tembo ruled: “The claimant’s case is hopeless and not fit for further investigation at a full hearing. The claimant was in breach of its broadcasting license by failing to pay license fees.”
MACRA has meanwhile reiterated its stance on enforcing compliance within the broadcasting sector, warning that failure to meet license conditions—including timely payment of fees—may result in regulatory enforcement actions, including license revocations.
“Licensees across the Telecommunications, Broadcasting, and Postal sectors are reminded that failure to comply with license conditions may result in regulatory enforcement actions, including revocation of licenses,” the statement emphasized.
The regulator also noted that some broadcasters who faced similar revocations had successfully reapplied for new licenses after settling their obligations and continue to operate in good standing.
MACRA urged affected broadcasters and the general public to reach out for further clarifications through official communication channels.
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