The three channels were forced to suspend broadcasting in April last year by the Ministry of Telecommunications, Information and Social Communication Technologies (Minttics), due to "legal non-conformities".
However, at the end of last month, the announcement that hundreds of workers at Zap Viva were at risk of losing their jobs led the Attorney General's Office to intervene, handing over the management of ZAP Media and Finstar - belonging to businesswoman Isabel dos Santos and arrested since 2019 - to the ministry that oversees the media in Angola.
This week, Zap announced that the channel would resume broadcasting "soon", without giving a date.
Questioned by Lusa, Minttics, the current trustee of the channel, stated that the objective of transferring the management of the companies of the former president's daughter, José Eduardo dos Santos, to the State, was to ensure "the maintenance of jobs, as well as the possibility of offer Angolan families more entertainment through television".
Minttics added that since the suspension of the channel, "there have been discussions, negotiations between the parties (...) that have not produced conclusive results until the date of the change in the entity responsible for managing the channel".
He also adds that, since the State is more focused on guaranteeing a better quality of life for the populations than on obtaining profits, "probably some aspects whose understanding were disparate could more easily be overcome and were".
However, there are still some tasks that are being carried out, "and that should legally conform the channel in terms of the intended and/or performed practices". Minttics maintains that there was no clear distinction on the part of ZAP, in relation to what is a television channel, a television station, a television producer and a television signal distribution company, so "it was not clear where she fit in."
Lusa also questioned at what point were the processes related to the other two channels suspended, with Minttics responding that "VIDA TV has not yet met the legal constraints and Tv Record has filed an action that is running in the Supreme Court" .
Contacted by Lusa, the former executive director of Record TV Africa, Fernando Teixeira, confirmed that the television station belonging to the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (IURD), an entity whose officials are also dealing with Angolan justice, has filed a lawsuit against the Minttics on the understanding that the suspension was illegal.
Fernando Teixeira said that, in parallel, Record TV Africa presented all the required documentation and the dossier "is being analyzed", with several meetings having been held with representatives of the tutelage.
The official pointed out that some of the issues that were raised by the Minttics did not exist, namely the lack of registration and the existence of foreign journalists.
Lusa also tried to contact those responsible for Vida TV, which has not been possible so far.
The Zap Viva channel was suspended, along with Vida TV and Record TV África, in April 2021 by the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information and Media Technologies (Minttics) due to irregularities.
According to Minttics, TV Record Africa had, as executive director, "a non-national citizen", which according to the organ is illegal, and foreign staff who were not accredited or accredited at the Aníbal de Melo Press Center.
The channels Zap Viva and Vida TV were suspended due to lack of registration for the exercise of television activity in Angola.
Journalists' organizations have expressed concern about the plurality of information in Angola, which is now broadcast only by public channels, after several private channels, including Palanca TV and TV Zimbo, passed into state control under allegations of having constituted with public money.
Government says “tasks” are still ongoing for legal regularization of Zap Viva
The government says that “tasks” are in progress for the legal regularization of the Zap Viva channel. managed by the tutelage, while Vida TV “has not met the legal constraints so far” and TV Record has filed a lawsuit in court.
