Mozambique: INCM shuts down Rádio Encontro

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Mozambique: INCM shuts down Rádio Encontro

5:01 CAT | 12 Feb 2025

Rádio Encontro in Nampula. The station, a partner of DW, was shut down on Tuesday (11-02) after a technical inspection. [Photo: DW/J. Beck]

Mozambique’s Communications Institute has ordered the shutdown of Rádio Encontro, claiming that the frequency of the Nampula broadcaster was creating interference in aeronautical mobile services. The radio station’s management awaits clarification.

The broadcaster, a partner of DW, was closed on Tuesday (11-02), following an inspection by technicians from the National Communications Institute of Mozambique (INCM).

Founded in 1995, in Nampula, the broadcaster belongs to the Catholic Church, and has an editorial policy highly critical of the regime.

In an interview with DW, Rádio Encontro director Father Benvindo de Jesus Tapua said that the measure surprised the management, who had not been informed in advance

Father Tapua says he does not know whether political motivations are behind the decision to close the station, and that he would only ascertain the reasons when the Radio Encontro team visits the INCM this Thursday (13-02).

DW Africa: How did you receive the news that the radio station is closing?

Benvindo de Jesus Tapua (BJT): We were surprised, first of all, we were negatively surprised by the fact that they were closing [the broadcaster]. We are always there, at the National Institute of Communication of Mozambique, because we are also in the process of requesting a link. We want a repeater so that we can expand our services, our audience and the area of our service.

So, we are in this situation and when I got there, I wanted to speak to the [INCM’s] director, but the director was not there at the time, and they told me that the entire procedure is underway. So, when we received this information [this Tuesday], we were left like this…, without really knowing what is happening, since they say that there is interference in the airspace.

Radioenc.dw_ — *The Rádio Encontro facilities in Nampula. The broadcaster belongs to the Catholic Church, and has an editorial policy highly critical of the regime. [Photo: DW/S. Lutxeque]*

DW Africa: Considering that the radio station has been broadcasting since 1995 and this situation is only arising now, how do you understand this?

BJT: First of all, in terms of political and social issues, we still have no basis to raise any suspicions, we do not. Only after Thursday, the day we go to the institution [INCM], will we hear the clarification, and hear what steps we should take. We are calm, there was no advance notification, we only saw this arrival there and the closing of the radio station. So, we are surprised. We still have no idea what is really happening, we really don’t.

DW Africa: Given your editorial policy, did you already suspect that one day the radio station would have this kind of surprise?

BJT: No, I didn’t suspect anything in terms of, for example, editorial policy or lack of other documents, because legally we are fine, we pay and they even confirm that we are one of the partner radio stations of the National Institute of Communication of Mozambique. We are one of the great and good partners, because we pay our fees, we pay.

I mean, to this day we have good relations, at least with the Nampula delegation, unless reports to the contrary are made. Now, as for political matters, I have no information, I have no notification, but as a state institution we have no problems, we have very good relations, to this day, as a state institution. So, we have no suspicions.

Source: Deutsche Welle