Information minister fires ZBC board, two Lobengula denigrating presenters
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Jenfan Muswere has dismissed the state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) board, while getting two television presenters suspended over scandalously crass remarks on a recent programme, saying colonialism was justified to some extent and buccaneering Ndebele King Lobengula Khumalo sold the country for sugar to imperial Britain.
Informed official sources told The NewsHawks that Muswere fired the Dr Josaya Tai-led board over a number of key performance, oversight and corporate governance issues at ZBC, as well as the daft and tribally divisive remarks by the two female presenters.
A video clip of the presenters,
Farai Juliet Magada (pictured) and Victoria Manase, wallowing in blissful ignorance in their flippant show, has now gone viral with them frivolously discussing historical issues about the end of apartheid in South Africa in 1994 and colonisation, while giggling and laughing throughout their shallow and insulting exchanges.
The discussion, which they described as trivia in a pathetic disclaimer, focuses on South Africa, colonialism and slavery.
In a moment of crass ignorance and mischief, which recycles a discredited colonial and tribal myth, Manase exuberantly repeats the hugely discredited and tired lie that Lobengula sold the country for sugar.
Some even say for a mirror!
A source told The NewsHawks:
“The minister (Muswere) has dismissed the ZBC board and got the acting ZBC chief (who is currently standing in for Adelaide Chikunguru away on holiday leave) to suspend those two ignorant presenters who are peddling old tribal myths and lies on national television. Their show was scandalous.
“Interestingly, one of the presenters (Magada) is the lady who was entangled in the messy Robson Mhandu sex scandal at ZBC.”
Mhandu, a veteran broadcaster, was hauled over the coals last year after he brazenly demanded sex from Magada,
a ZBC female presenter, in order to approve her transfer request from Bulawayo to Harare.
Mhandu, who has over two decades at the ZBC on and off, told Magada, also known as Farie Jules, that she needed to “motivate me by work and number two, the obvious… it’s a combination of the two.”
He said: “Tell me if you don’t want to do it and you’ll go back to Bulawayo.”
Boasting about his toxic masculinity and virility, while projecting himself as a lion, his totem, Mhandu said he wanted to devour Magada and her transfer would be quickly approved – a clear case of quid pro quo sexual harassment.
Mhandu’s crude and aggressive sexual advances were caught in a clear audio recording of their meeting in his office at Pockets Hill, Highlands, Harare.
The sacked ZBC board, chaired by Tai, included Thomas Bvuma, Tsitsi Dangarembizi, Heliate Rushwaya, Dorothy Mabika, Devnanda Popatla, Reverend Thompson Dube and Brian Mutangandebvu.
Muswere is said to be on the verge of appointing new boards for ZBC and Zimpapers.
A new board will replace the current Tommy Sithole-led board at Zimpapers.
After that, editorials changes by the boards will follow at the key state media organisations, sources say.
