via Heads roll at ZBC as minister wields axe | The Herald November 15, 2013
THE Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation board, led by Mr Cuthbert Dube, has been dissolved with immediate effect while the corporation’s chief executive officer, Mr Happison Muchechetere, has been sent on leave to pave way for an audit. Mr Allan Chiweshe, who is the general manager radio services, takes over as acting chief executive officer.
In a statement last night, the Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, Professor Jonathan Moyo, said the dissolution of the board was made after it failed to submit a turnaround strategy document within the 14 days it had requested.
Prof Moyo said it was common cause that ZBC had for some time been facing critical leadership and managerial challenges that had not only compromised its capacity to effectively and meaningfully discharge its mandate, a situation that resulted in the failure by the parastatal to pay its workers for several months.
“Against this background the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services has over the last few weeks been engaging the ZBC board and management to find an urgent and lasting solution to the very public challenges facing the national broadcaster. In particular, the ministry engaged the ZBC board and management for most of the day on Monday 28 October 2013 to review a turnaround strategy which the corporation had submitted to Government,” said Prof Moyo.
The minister said it had transpired during the meeting that the turnaround strategy about which the ministry had grave reservations upon, had not been considered and endorsed by the full board prior to its submission to the Government.
Consequently, he said, the board requested 10-14 days to agree on and submit the turn-around strategy considered and endorsed by the full board.
“Some 17 days have lapsed since the commitment. After making inquiries related to the matter this morning, the ministry received a letter from the ZBC chairman this afternoon essentially confirming that the board and management are not yet ready with the overdue turnaround strategy,” he said.
“In the circumstances and upon appropriate consultation, the ZBC board is hereby dissolved with immediate effect. In the same vein, and with immediate effect, the ZBC chief executive officer, Cde Happison
Muchechetere, is hereby sent on leave with full pay until further notice. The decision has been taken in order to enable a full due diligence and organisational audit of ZBC. This will facilitate the crafting and implementation of the long delayed turnaround strategy which the national broadcaster deserves and must now have in the national interest.”
Other members of the dissolved board are Mr Bob Nyabinde, Ms Doreen Sibanda, Mr Clemence Mabaso, Bishop Trevor Manhanga, Retired Brigadier-General Felix Muchemwa, Major-General Gibson Mashingaidze, Mr Farai Mutamangira, Mr Job Jonhera and Engineer Martin Manuhwa.
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