Chief ZANU PF apologist Zvayi overlooked in major Zimpapers reshuffle

By Denford Ncube

ZANU (PF) apologist and deputy editor at the state owned Herald has been left to dry in a senior editorial reshuffle announced on Monday this week by Zimpapers Board Chairman Dr Paul Chimedza.

In a move that observers claim is clear indication that, despite his best efforts over the years to sing the ZANU PF tune, the Zimpapers board and their political masters have no confidence in Zvayi’s abilities, the Board has instead decided to move Innocent Gore from the Bulawayo-based Chronicle to head the editorial at Herald ahead of Zvayi. Zvayi has been deputising William Chikoto who has been moved upstairs into a new role – a usual tactic at Zimpapers when an editor at the flagship Herald is being demoted. Gore’s move from the Chronicle to the Herald is seen as a promotion

Caesar Zvayi with Robert Mugabe -"Left to dry"

given The Herald’s flagship status at Zimpapers. But observers say Zvayi, the former geography teacher, would have expected a promotion particularly given his openly partisan and biased opinions that he regularly publishes in the Herald. “Like all apologists, he would have expected some kind of reward and he must be sorely disappointed at being overlooked for a senior role at The Herald in this reshuffle”, a source said.

Zvayi has had a chequered history at The Herald. The former geography teacher assaulted a female journalist, Thelma Chikwanha in the newsroom in 2005 for which he was arrested and paid an admission of guilt fine. In January 2007, the High Court ordered him to pay damages to Chikwanha after she sued him for the assault.

In 2009 Zvayi, a former political editor faced an internal enquiry into an alleged sexual harassment of a female colleague, Thelma Chikwanha which resulted in him being given a final warning.

In the same year, there were reports of sexual harassment and nepotism at Zimpapers. There revelations were made public in a report by a parliamentary committee on transport and communications which was looking at the state of Zimbabwe’s public media.

Zvayi, once a fiery critic of President Robert Mugabe before switching allegiance has been one ZANU (PF) key apologists who use vast space in the state to issue vitriolic attacks against MDC leader and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his party, who defeated Mugabe and ZANU PF in the March 2008 elections.

The latest reshuffle at Zimpapers saw assistant editor Itai Musengeyi taking the top post at Chronicle. William Chikoto who was Herald editor becomes group editorial executive. Thumeliso Makhurane who was assistant editor at chronicle comes in as senior assistant editor at The Herald while Innocent Madonko from Sunday news fills in Makhurane’s post at The Chronicle.

“The reshuffle is a political move ahead of the coming elections. Chikoto is seen as a softy while Gore and Musengeyi are hardliners”, said a senior reporter at Herald who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Although Zvayi writes so much in support of ZANU PF his loyalty has been questioned especially after he jumped ship at one point fleeing to Botswana where he had got employment at the university. He had an unceremonious departure from Botswana from where he was effectively deported after which he made serious personal attacks against Botswana President Ian Khama.

Sources said, apart from his doubtful journalistic qualifications, his temperament is suspect and it is inconceivable that a person of such temperament could be trusted with the top role at The Herald or even The Chronicle, where Musengeyi has been appointed editor ahead of Zvayi. (ZIMBABWE, ZimEye)