HARARE - The former chairperson and chief executive of the now defunct Media and Information Commission (MIC), Tafataona Mahoso Mahosos tenure at the discredited MIC was characterized by the biggest closure of newspapers in Zimbabwes history, countless arrests of journalists and defiance of High Court orders.
Mahoso wrote to us proposing that ZMC should retain the MIC secretariat structure. In the letter he argues that ZMC has a limited choice – to absorb the former MIC staff including himself or pay them huge exit packages, said one commissioner, who refused to be named for fear of victimization.
He said Zanu (PF) commissioners, such as Christopher Mutsvangwa and Chairperson Godfrey Majonga, were already selling Mahosos proposal to other commissioners. No sane person would allow Mahoso to be the chief executive of ZMC. We want to start on a clean slate, and all key posts will be advertised. We might consider sweepers and messengers from the former MIC, but certainly not Mahoso. He is poisonous to the media, said another commissioner.
Mahoso is among the 27 applicants who were interviewed for the commission by a parliamentary committee but failed to make it onto the shortlist. Mutsvangwa and former Zimpapers board member, Lawton Hikwa, also failed to make it onto the shortlist,t but were both appointed commissioners by President Robert Mugabe.
In November last year Mahoso, popularly known as Zimbabwes media hangman was appointed chair of the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ). His appointed is being contested by the MDC who has described it as unprocedural.
Post published in: News