Customers up in arms after GTV closure

The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has given GTV Tanzania up to 10.00 am today to explain how it is going to compensate its customers following the company’s liquidation. Reports in international media over the weekend had it that Gateway Television (GTV) of UK has closed down after going bust.

The abrupt termination of GTV leaves behind millions of angry subscribers and jobless people across 22 African countries, including Tanzania. TCRA directive has come at a time when a law firm, FB Attorneys, representing dozens of its customers, gave the GTV Tanzania limited 24 hours (from yesterday ) to pay 134m/- or face legal consequences.

Public Relations Manager of TCRA Innocent Mungy, said that the authority had summoned the company and given them the directive. “One of our responsibilities is to protect the rights of the consumers. We therefore summoned the company officials and demanded explanations from them on how are they going to compensate the consumers.

“We want the explanations by 10.00 am tomorrow (today),” Mr Mungy told the 'Daily News' over the phone yesterday. According to him, the officials of the company told TCRA that they were holding meetings to discuss the matter. GTV Tanzania is owned by Tanzanians (51 per cent) and GTV Holding Ltd from Mauritius (49 per cent).

Mr Mungy said that they had directed GTV to publish a statement to show how they would treat their customers and submit to TCRA the number of customers they had and how they would settle their claims. In another development, in a strongly worded demand notice, Advocates Fayaz Bhojani and Gaudiosus Ishengoma, made it very clear that if GTV does not respond within the said time, the matter would be taken to court for legal adjudications.

The advocates stated in the letter yesterday that GTV have been paid in advance 134m/- and despite repeated requests and follow-ups for refund of the liability, it failed, ignored or neglected to settle the liability. “Now upon the instruction of our said clients, we FB Attorneys for and on behalf of our clients, hereby demand from you payment of 134m/- together with accrued interest thereon, in accordance with commercial practices and recovery costs incurred by our client within 24 hours of the date of this letter,” the advocates said.