HARARE-Fireworks are expected at this year Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ)'s annual general meeting after is emerged that the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) is seeking to amend the constitution and slot in its members. (Pictured: Muchadeyi Masunda)The VMCZ is a body that runs parallel to the now defunct Media Information Commission soon to be replaced by the Zimbabwe Media Commission after President Robert Mugabe puts pen to paper on the final list presented to him by Parliament.
The Zimbabwean has unearthed that ZUJ is unhappy with the current set up and want chairperson and Harare Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda to step down and be replaced by Pius Wakatama.
The union also wants vice chair Father Oscar Wermter to be replaced by veteran journalist now columnist Bornwell Chakaodza, while ZUJ secretary Foster Dongozi and MISA-Zimbabwe’s Tapfuma Machakaire have been tipped to occupy board seats.
Chakaodza, who did not make it to become VMCZ’s executive director after he was edged in an interview by former editor of The Daily News John Gambanga, is currently a board member of VMCZ.
Other members of the board are lawyers Irene Petras, Chris Mhike, Professor Geoff Feltoe, former High Court Judge Justice Goerge Smith, journalists Edna Machirori, Joram Nyathi (communications manager of the JOMIC), Reuters’
Chris Chinaka and Bishop Sebastian Bakare.
However, ZUJ’s move could meet stiff resistance from other journalists who view it as unconstitutional.
In 2007, it was agreed that the terms of office of the chair and his vice would run for three years while that of Feltoe, Nyathi, Bakare and Smith for one year. The other board members’ terms were incorporated into the constitution to run for two years, but ZUJ, a key stakeholder, whose office bearers could not be reached for comment want that changed in favour of its members.
Masunda confirmed the move by ZUJ to remove him saying he had been informed and was not worried to step down “if that’s what the people want.”
He said: “I wrote to ZUJ reminding them of the constitution and stated the board’s position. ZUJ members in their wisdom are seeking to push through amendments that change the face on the constitution and I have no problem with that. They must remeber that the people sitting in the board did not elect themselves. They were actually approached after several attempts to form a voluntary media council failed.If they want me to step down because of my new positiuon as mayor, I glady oblige.
As long as everything is done properly, I do not have a problem.”
Informed sources said ZUJ’s move was prompted by the shift in the donor community’s behaviour which was gravitating towards funding VMCZ’s projects at the expense of the union’s.
“As you know, Masunda is well known in the donor community and they had begun to gravitate towards funding VMCZ and this did not go down well with ZUJ,” an informed source said. “ZUJ felt that its traditional donors were beginning to develop cold feet.”
Another bone of contention is the venue of the AGM, Town House. But Masunda shot is down saying Town House was a public place where a number of meetings by various organisations took place because it was cost effective.
Post published in: News