HARARE - Finance Minister Tendai Biti has urged the newly established Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) to move with speed to implement reforms to open up media space in the country. Addressing the Federation of African Journalists Congress that kicked off in Harare last Saturday Biti said: (We) are looking forward to decisive work of the media commissioners to start registering new newspapers and television houses. Addressing the same meeting, Zimbabwe Union of Journalists secretary-general Foster Dongoz thanked FAJ for deciding to hold the congress in Zimbabwe. The hosting union, the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, feels honoured by this show of solidarity from fellow journalists and trade unions from across the African continent, said Dongozi, who is also Vice-President of FAJ.
Dongozi said ZUJ was hopeful that the anticipated media reforms as laid out in the power sharing deal would be implemented immediately. The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists would like to take advantage of this congress to call on the inclusive Government to immediately empower the recently appointed Zimbabwe Media Commission to immediately start registering new media players. The way the inclusive Government handles issues pertaining to media reforms will be used to judge its sincerity both as individual political parties and as a collective entity, said Dongozi.