Zimbabwe: State media news editor- new president of journalist’s union

Dumisani Sibanda, the news editor of the state owned Sunday News newspaper, is the new president of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ). Foster Dongozi the Secretary General who was re-elected unopposed, and who is an independent journalist, told Newsreel the Friday congress in Bulawayo went ahead without incident despite reports suggesting otherwise. It was predicted the congress would be bitterly contested following allegations that the outgoing executive was trying to cherry pick its successors.

Dongozi said the state-owned Zimpapers group which owns most of the government newspaper mouthpieces had invested heavily in busing people to the congress to try and influence the results. The organization forked out US$85 per delegate per night in accommodation costs. Even before the congress Zimpapers chief executive Justin Mutasa is said to have sponsored a retreat for state media journalists in Nyanga, to ensure they made up the majority of the journalists union.

Before the congress several journalists said they wanted to reform the union and accused former President Matthew Takaona of being a one-man band, mismanaging ZUJ affairs and ignoring the plight of journalists. It did not help Takaona’s cause that he was a former journalist at the Herald newspaper. Takaona however fired back, accusing his critics of being sponsored by politicians who wanted to control the union and its activities.

Takaona and his executive were also accused of having antagonized relations between ZUJ and organizations like the Zimbabwe Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe and the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe, among others. Financial Gazette Political Editor Njabulo Ncube told the Zimbabwe Times website that, ‘In the past two years, relations between ZUJ and these organizations have deteriorated over policy and personal issues.’

Secretary General Foster Dongozi however denied this friction and said ZUJ was a trade union, while organizations like MISA and others were NGO’s. This he said meant their work could not overlap and caused friction. But there was no denying there was friction over preparations for the congress itself, with accusations that Takaona’s executive kept the identity of delegates secret. Dongozi conceded they had received reports that certain government ministers and senior members of the armed forces were hiring buses to Bulawayo on behalf of journalists.

Those elected to the ZUJ executive include President Dumisani Sibanda (Sunday News), first Vice President Mercy Bote (ZBC), second Vice President Michael Padera (Herald), Secretary General Foster Dongozi (independent journalist) and Treasurer Vince Mugumbate.

December 4, 2009 by Lance Guma 

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Source: www.swradioafrica.com/news041209/statemedia041209.htm (accessed on 14.12.2009)