HARARE - The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) has terminated deducting its employees' monthly subscriptions to Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) citing 'unfavourable' December 2009 election results.A highly placed source in the organizations News and Current Affairs management told this newspaper that the top management last week wrote a letter to ZBC pockets hill ZUJ branch chairperson Terrence Mapurisana advising him that the broadcaster was no longer able to deduct ZUJ membership subscription fees from their pay slips because of what it called irregularities in the union’s recent election.
Some journalists filed a law suit seeking nullification of the election, complaining that the election venue was made secretive by outgoing President Matthew Takaona and Secretary General Foster Dongozi.
The two have since given in to demands for fresh elections, scheduled for Bulawayo in February.
The letter further states that ZBC journalists are free to pay their membership subscriptions on their own, as the organization was no longer able to do so, said the source.
In April 2009 the source said the ministry of Information and Publicity held a reporting workshop with senior state media journalists where they discussed ways of hijacking ZUJ, following the announcement by its long-serving president that he was not going to contest the next election.
“In Nyanga we resolved that Isdore Guvamombe (Herald) was going to be the next ZUJ president, deputised by Terrence Mapurisana (ZBC),while Emilia Zindi (Sunday Mail) going to be the secretary General. Both Zi papers and ZBC chiefs promised to support the team in campaigning for the posts, said a female journalist who attended the Nyanga meeting.
Takaona blasted employers who want to interfere with trade union issues and threatened to sue Zimbabwe Newspaper Group Chief Executive Justine Mutasa who had bussed in 20 journalists to attend the elections, which were supposed to be attended by invited members only.
Post published in: News