A contractual conflict between the producers of the soap, Studio 263 and the government broadcaster Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) has thrown the future of the series into doubt.

Studio 263 Off Air!

Under the new agreement that started on 1 September, ZBC buys the soap and gets its returns from adverts. Initially Studio 263 used to get money from sponsors and a fraction from aired adverts.

The problem with the pre-September agreement was that Studio 263 used to get a minute and a half worth of advertisement money, which was a trickle considering that adverts ran for close to ten minutes during the 30 minutes an episode is beamed.

His argument was that for the past two months he has been pulling his resources to pay a restive cast and crew. He was told that ZBC enjoyed a monopoly so he can go to hell.

“Another issue is that ZBC has been dilly dallying with the issue of coming up with a contract because all the agreements are done verbally and Mawuru is not impressed."

“As a result, payment for the product's September efforts only came through on 2 November. The October and November payments are not yet in the soap's coffers. In the absence of a contract they are getting away with murder and the soap is bleeding to death.”

Sources from the ZBC said it was after a quick meeting between Robson Mhandu, ZBC's and Banda, that the series was allowed to continue but with a new condition that starting tomorrow the soap will only get three slots a week.

However we are reliably informed that since this was a verbal agreement the soap's management has taken a militant stance that they will keep producing but will not give ZBC their product.

The source said: “ZTV will not get anything from us. On Monday they will have to do with a repeat and maybe for a long time to come. We know better to accept verbal agreements. They should now write down in a contract and say-this is our position and we will be now paying you so and so. How can Banda just inform us of this and not say anything on issues of we raised?

Banda who according to sources is pushing for the soap to be aired once a week starting January referred us to ZBC's Public Relations manager, Sivukile Simango: “Talk to Simango. I am not allowed to comment.” Mhandu's phone was not reachable.

We can reveal that besides the contractual issues that might have influenced the three times a week decision, slots were being opened for programmes to do with next year's Presidential elections.

In light of this development, the series has gone into talks with regional countries to try and sell the product to sustain the soap.

A source said: “Eventually we are going to be chucked out and we are preparing for that. We cannot survive without funds and if we are being paid 30 days later with the hyperinflation environment we are in, it makes no business sense.”

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