Itai Muzondo
‘It was the best and the worst of times’, so goes an old adage, and oh how apt it is for practicing journalists in our country today.
The House of Hunger is certainly going through a metamorphosis.
People in the corridors of power are running around losing their minds like cockroaches in a tin of gamatox.
The economic situation needs rescuing; the Zimbabwean market is struggling to understand currency issues and there is social unrest in the undercurrents of the nation
The opposition parties are smelling rats everywhere and some opposition bigwigs seem to be either jumping ship or re-strategising, depending on who you are.
Zimbabwe seems to have been driven into a de facto one party state since the Tshabangu inspired recalls succcesfully gifted the ‘Rural Party’ with a two thirds majority on a silver platter.
The mammoth move by, Nelson ‘FullStop’ Chamisa has added fuel to the fire in a proper NoNonsense move and the centres on both sides seem unable to hold.
President Mnangagwa has, on the other hand, seemingly gone all out in mobilising his arsenal and appointees to justify the failing environment by coming up with a solution to the monetary problems that have dogged Zimbabwe for years now.
Put yourself in the shoes of a storyteller and imagine all this unfolding…however, with no guaranteed freedoms if you are to tell the story as it is.
Indeed, what a time to be a journalist in Zimbabwe!
Free fall Zim dollar; AgroCheques; Bearers Cheques; Multi Currency what not; Bond note; from Hero to Zero; Parity between US$ and Bond Note….Leonard Tsumba; Gideon Gono(after slashing the zeros); Panonetsa Mangundya…now John 2 Mushayavanhu – all were in the driver’s seat of a fully loaded bus without wheels.
Isn’t it in Economics 101 that currency is a function of economic principles in action? The lack of confidence in the economy which has taken over 25 years to materialise cannot, be turned around in 30 ZiG inspired days.
Why am I being distracted to talk about the economy when the elephant in my house is PRESS FREEDOM.
Did you read News Hawk’s peace on why they had to drop the military chefs story?
Did you hear that Owen Ncube does not allow journalists he deem ‘un-developmental’ in public meetings?
Did you know that most political elites now have their mouthpieces, maybe inspired by varakashi, who know?
Did you know that it’s a crime to speak truth to power?
Have you heard reports of journalists being blocked from covering the First Lady?
Starlink…
All being questioned, we may want to ask if the media is really free in Zimbabwe?
Granted, the gradual buildup of gold stock can indeed happen if and only if we had responsible and honest gatekeepers…but now with Chipezeze between the goal posts agh!
Leveraging our currency with the wealth of our tapped and untapped mineral resource base is not only noble but a possibility whose bounds are beyond measure.
Why do I find myself back to political issues when we are discussing PRESS FREEDOM?
Ok. Likewise, we regardless of changes in the technological landscape, we still need professionalism upheld.
We cannot have leaders that prefers lapdogs over watchdogs when it comes to coverage of public events.
What do you want to hide?
We cannot be in an environment where investigative journalists publicly announce how they have been forced off a story of interest and say we have a free media.
Gentlemen, we cannot have leaders who say this journalist is no fit to cover events I convene because they are aligned to whom and whom…since when have public officials been appointed referees over the media?
Now Jonathan Moyo calls Tendai Biti a coward for taking a sabbatical abroad…is he in Zimbabwe to stand for his words if I may ask?
Ohh, what a time to be a journalist in Zimbabwe!
