Online Reporter
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke, Senior Zimpapers Reporter
INNOVATION and digital transformation are at the heart of the survival and growth of Zimbabwe’s media industry, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere has said.
He was speaking after touring the Zimbabwe Newspapers Group Herald House in Harare yesterday, where he commended the media group’s ongoing digitisation and modernisation drive, which has already transformed newsrooms and content delivery systems.
“The Stone Age did not come to an end because there was a shortage of stones, but because people decided to innovate.
“That innovation is very key as we journey towards an upper-middle-income society.
“Broadband and ICT have totally transformed the way we live, communicate, share ideas, generate content and distribute the same content,” said Dr Muswere.
He said the Government fully supported Zimpapers’ digital migration, which has already seen the successful refurbishment of Herald House and the establishment of an integrated Artificial Intelligence-powered newsroom.
The project, initially budgeted at US$1,5 million, was completed at less than US$600,000, and is expected to significantly boost revenue streams.
“The recapitalisation and digital transformation taking place at Zimpapers show remarkable success,” Dr Muswere said.
“This not only reduces costs but also gives Zimbabwe the capacity to broadcast and generate content globally, thereby strengthening our national soft power.”
The Minister said the next phase of the project will focus on the Zimpapers Bulawayo branch and other strategic business units across the country.
He said the shift to digital comes at a time when the print industry has seen circulation numbers plummet from more than 100,000 copies daily for the entire industry in the past, to less than 10,000 copies today.
Beyond infrastructure investment, Dr Muswere said the Government was working with media stakeholders to ensure ethical governance and professionalism in the industry.
“We have witnessed an erosion in cultural and ethical standards in some areas of media practice,” he said.
“That is why we are finalising a draft code of conduct under the Zimbabwe Media Commission, supported by experts, seasoned journalists and the ministerial advisory committee.
“The Fourth Industrial Revolution is a reality. We have to be part of it, but we need guidelines in terms of how media practitioners operate in order to grow the sector, to ensure that we have credibility and ethics that govern the industry.
“This is why we need a whole-of-sector approach in terms of the governance and all these will be taking place through a stakeholder’s approach to generate as many great ideas as possible, both from content creators and media practitioners of all media houses.”
Dr Muswere said the Media Practitioners Bill and amendments to the Zimbabwe Media Commission Act would soon be tabled before Parliament to safeguard Zimbabwe’s media sovereignty, particularly in the face of “social media imperialism” and cyber threats.
As part of this process, human capital development remains a pillar of the new integrated media policy, with extensive training programmes set to be rolled out across media houses.
Dr Muswere also revealed that Government, through collaboration with the Ministry of Information, Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services, was exploring the development of home-grown social media platforms that reflect Zimbabwean culture and values while supporting Vision 2030.
“Our approach focuses on four areas: stakeholder management, ethical governance, digital transformation, and policy consistency. These will ensure that we have a credible, competitive and future-ready media industry,” he said.
During the tour, Dr Muswere interacted with Zimpapers staff and management, emphasising that his visit was part of a “management by walking around” model to engage directly with the realities of newsroom operations.
