Online Reporter
Robson Sharuko-Metros Editor
WICKNELL Chivayo is box office attraction – whether you are looking for a bit of controversy, a bit of fun, and everything in between.
He is a gold mine.
And, it’s not because he has millions of dollars in his back account, but it’s simply because he is a subject of significant interest for journalists.
An exclusive interview with him is a coup for any journalist who secures it.
That’s what Pathisani Sibanda did this week.
And, that’s what Zimpapers, through its Capitalk FM radio station, also did this week.
This was Pathisani’s Piers Morgan golden moment.
Piers is a British journalist and, in November 2022, he secured a world-exclusive interview with Cristiano Ronaldo.
It was an explosive interview, which Piers conducted on behalf of the Sun tabloid, in which Ronaldo sharply criticised the then manager Erik ten Hag, Manchester United and the owners of the club.
Just about every media organisation in the world fished content from that interview.
When the storm finally died, there were some huge consequences with Ronaldo’s contract being terminated.
Chivayo’s interview with Pathisani was not pregnant with the controversy which dominated Pier’s interview with Ronaldo.
But, it was big.
It did not only generate immense following but provided a pool of content, which just about everyone on social media in this country, appeared to have been fishing from, on Tuesday afternoon.
Whether Chivayo was addressing issues related to his ex-wife Sonja Madzikanda, his former in-laws, his kids, his pastors, there was a certain level of decency to his tone.
His challenge to Dynamos players to win the Harare Derby at Rufaro on Sunday, and get a luxury team coach, which we expect to be cost more than US$200,000, predictably generated headlines.
For Capitalk FM, in particular, and Zimpapers, in general, this interview was a major scoop.
It was also a major scoop, in general, for traditional media.
In an era where there has been an influx of podcasters, and other forms of new media, especially on the digital platforms, Chivayo’s decision to choose a radio station, as his preferred means of communication in this interview, was a big deal for traditional media.
Many are calling it a major coup for Zimpapers Radio and they are not wrong.
There is a world of difference between rumbling on a podcast and being interviewed on a radio station or by a proper media organisation.
One is the Wild West, where everything goes, sometime because the hosts are not even aware that they are minefields, which they can’t step on, for a number of reasons.
Take, for instance, an ongoing court case.
Those who have received even the most basic of training in journalism know that they can’t publish commentary related to a case which would be pending at the courts.
This means they can’t provide, or invite commentary, on issues which will be pending before the courts, unless that is coming straight from the lawyers representing either the prosecution or the defence.
But, in the Wild West of podcasts in this country, we have seen and heard commentary around such pending cases, including some which can be deemed to be trying to influence the course of justice.
We have heard scary insults being promoted as acceptable language on some of these podcasts and we have seen people being defamed, without being given a little window, for them to respond.
There is no space for ethics in that Wild West.
On Tuesday, we saw a different world as Chivayo sat down with Pathisani for an exclusive interview which was a throwback to the good, old days of proper journalism, on a proper journalism platform.
We saw a Chivayo who was refreshingly calm, as if he was respectful of the environment he was in, and this wasn’t about chasing likes and retweets but this was about communicating.
Pathisani wasn’t fishing for a controversy, which would result in a sudden spark in the number of likes or retweets, he was simply asking some questions and getting some answers.
And, boy oh boy, there was a proper flow to the conversation.
If Chivayo had chosen a podcast, it’s very likely that his host would have been unhappy that the businessman chose to be decent towards his ex-wife when the time came to talk about her.
In the world of podcasters, it is the negativity which trends and they would have wanted Chivayo to tear his ex-wife to pieces because this is what inspires the boost in likes.
They would have wanted him come up with this kind of reply:
“Udzai murombo wemazuva (Dynamos) kuti hakuna bhazi richabva kuMukuru wemazuva.”
That’s what pushes the likes on podcasts, isn’t it?
But, we all heard Chivayo respond to that caller with respect.
He told him that if DeMbare beat CAPS United in the Derby on Sunday, they can get a new luxury team coach from him.
This was Zimpapers, in particular, and traditional media, in general, flexing its muscles.
