via Heads roll at Herald – DailyNews Live 2 October 2014 by Lloyd Mbiba
HARARE – President Robert Mugabe yesterday lashed out at State media, singling out The Herald newspaper, for running disparaging and destructive stories about deadly factionalism within his embattled Zanu PF party.
And just as Mugabe was rubbishing the State media at a Zanu PF politburo meeting in the capital, it emerged that heads were already rolling at Zimpapers, the publisher of The Herald.
Information filtered out late last night that the company’s group chief executive officer, Justin Mutasa, and finance director, Adolf Majome, had been sent packing unceremoniously amid a cocktail of negative factors bedevilling the media house.
Sources told the Daily News that the departure of Mutasa and Majome was linked to the anger of senior Zanu PF bigwigs against Zimpapers “for being sucked in factionalism”. The two men’s fate had apparently also been sealed once the company came out publicly this week to say it had recorded massive losses in its interim results.
The Daily News had not seen the official statement on this that was due to be released yesterday evening at the time of going to Press.
But it is understood that the statement was to contain a well-managed public relations piece explaining that Mutasa had requested to retire while Majome’s contract had allegedly expired.
The Daily News was reliably informed last night that following Mugabe’s statement, more big names were to fall at Zimpapers.
Rugare Gumbo, Zanu PF’s spokesperson, earlier on told journalists soon after the politburo meeting yesterday that Mugabe had registered serious umbrage over The Herald’s coverage of events within Zanu PF, which was exposing his party to unwarranted criticism.
“The president also went further to denounce factionalism in the party. He was very critical of the media,” Gumbo said.
“He felt that the coverage in the media particularly The Herald, where the headline all the time is destructive statements about the party, disparaging the party, exposing the party to unnecessary criticism,” Gumbo added.
The Zanu PF spokesperson said the president urged the media, together with party leaders, to concentrate on development issues rather than abuse power.
“He felt that the media and also the leaders must focus on issues and not on personalities and abuse of power,” Gumbo said.
Some Zanu PF leaders’ in the past have raised their reservations on how the State media is covering developments within the party.
Just on Monday, Zanu PF Mashonaland West provincial chair Temba Mliswa accused Information minister Jonathan Moyo of allegedly being a “gay gangster” who is manipulating the State media to attack his political opponents.
“The gay gangsters are controlling the State media. Some of you won’t write what I’m saying here to appease Prof Moyo,” Mliswa said.
Mliswa’s outburst was precipitated by a series of stories carried out by the State media alleging that he and 11 other Zanu PF legislators (the so-called Dirty Dozen) were working with American intelligence operatives.
Mugabe, during the burial of the national hero Nathan Shamuyarira, openly tore into Moyo branding him a ‘devil incarnate’, while accusing him of appointing editors of State-owned newspapers who were sympathetic to the opposition.
Mugabe also accused Moyo of using the government-controlled newspapers to sow divisions with Zanu PF.
The president further complained that his Zanu PF had been infiltrated by “weevils” (a crop pest) bent on destroying the party from within.
Didymus Mutasa, the minister of State for Presidential Affairs, also lashed out against State media in November last year for taking sides in the Zanu PF succession drama.
Mutasa, who is also Zanu PF secretary for administration, said he was particularly not happy with being portrayed in the State media as a “dwarf in huge robes.”
“Please stop it, leave us alone, please regard us as your leaders, we come from the people who voted for us, and the president. We want to work in harmony,” Mutasa said.
COMMENTS
It doesn’t really matter what they write in the Herald is their anybody who actually reads it?? Unless they now suspect peoples Ar#%holes are capable of reading????
So the Herald is still cheaper than toilet paper?
Where there is smoke, there is fire, and obviously ZPF factions are airing their dirty laundry in public. This is something that the leaders don’t like but the so called leadership does not like to be in the public domain! Unfortunately it is said that the majority of the public voted for their representation, so that public has a right to know what is happening to the party they voted for! On one hand I think it is a good thing, If it is solely about jostling for leadership it tells people about the party itself, if it is about policy differences we need to look carefully at what is being said. on the other hand all this new’s space taken up with a party’s internal tassels, (in both party’s) detracts attention from our Country’s real problems and that our leaders are not doing the best for our interests, as they should, and i am afraid that is the bigger and more important issue. Party’s and Politicians will come and go but the mess they leave behind always has to be cleaned up by someone else, normally at the expense of the people by way of Taxes and other such methods.
The Zanu baboons are fighting. The Tokoloshe is laughing.
I guess they have not been singing enough songs of praise and Worship for the Party.
The Party especially Mugabe and Ho want someone who will up the Praises and wave the propaganda placard higher.
Heads will enviably roll but nothing will change. Staff must sing for lunch. The question is who’s the master.
What is frightening is that this is reported as normal story, business as usual. In some countries the whole government will resign over such a story
Prop up Cde Guchi herself. The Hippo is quiet once out of the water. What airholes these Zanu thugs are.
I haven’t bought or purchased this comic for many years now.Did some time ago to make a fire.We all know that people don’t buy it!It is just a mouth piece of propaganda.