A Harare woman has been fined US$150 by the Harare Magistrates’ Court after being caught selling MultiChoice DStv decoders linked to South African accounts and managing their subscriptions.
Natasha Maka, 25, appeared before Magistrate Lisa Mutendereki and pleaded guilty.
The court heard that on 17 February, MultiChoice Zimbabwe’s anti-piracy manager, Parcion Matikiti, accompanied by police, visited the corner of Mbuya Nehanda and Nelson Mandela streets, where they found Maka selling decoders registered under South African accounts and handling subscriptions for them.
They also discovered that the DStv power supply units and remote controls she was selling were counterfeit.
Maka was arrested, and several items were seized, including five sealed boxes of DStv decoders, multiple remotes, power supply units, a receipt book, a Barclays diary, and a counter book. All items were presented as evidence in court.
Many Zimbabweans use South African DStv accounts, often called “SRAs,” because they are cheaper in US dollars and include channels like SABC 1, 2, and 3, and e.tv, which are not available on Zimbabwe’s DStv service.
But MultiChoice says this violates its terms of service and international copyright laws, as South African accounts are only licensed to broadcast content within South Africa.
MultiChoice has been trying to make its Zimbabwean packages more attractive to curb “digital border crossing.”
A recent promotion, “We Got You,” which is scheduled to end in February 2026, gives subscribers access to higher-tier content at no extra cost.
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