The acting chief executive officer of the state-owned ZBC Happison Muchechetere, had sent the journalists on forced leave, after apparent pressure from the government.
Labour Court judge Justice Gladys Mhuri, who sat with Justice Eauna Makamure, ruled last Friday that the suspensions were illegal and ordered the reinstatement of the journalists.
Rogers Matsikidze, the lawyer contracted by the Zimbabwe Union for Journalists to represent the suspended workers, said the judge also ruled that the time the employees had not been going to work were bonus days and should be paid for.
“The ZBC had sent my clients on forced leave from 1 June to 31 July but the judge said it was illegal for the management to do that. They can now go back to work,” said Matsikidze.
The affected journalists were Patrice Makova (news editor, Television Services), Steven Ndoma (deputy editor-in-chief), reporters Robert Tapfumaneyi, Brian Paradza, Monica Gavhera, Lawrence Maphosa and Sibonginkosi Mlilo.
Their suspension followed that of former chief executive Henry Muradzikwa, who was fired two months ago for allegedly failing to ensure victory for President Robert Mugabe, who lost to the Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the March 29 elections, before winning a reprieve to fight it out in the run-off, which he “won” after a one-horse race following the opposition leader’s withdrawal.
Muchechetere was not immediately available for comment regarding the court ruling.—CAJ News.
Post published in: News