Online Reporter
Ray Bande in Vumba
THE election of Zimbabwe as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, as well as its imminent assumption of the COMESA chairmanship, gives the local media a responsibility to articulate the true story of Zimbabwe and market its products on the global stage, a Cabinet Minister has said.
In his keynote address during his Ministry’s mid-term review workshop, which ended yesterday in Vumba, the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Dr Zhemu Soda, said the country’s position on the global stage had changed and now demanded more robust media engagement.
“Zimbabwe’s place in the global community has changed. We now sit as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, and we are preparing to assume the chairmanship of COMESA this year.
“This places Zimbabwe at the centre of global and regional decision-making. Our media must, therefore, rise to the occasion to ensure we unite Zimbabweans around Vision 2030, inform investors, entrepreneurs and financiers about the opportunities for trade and investment in our country.
“To this end, media houses must designate dedicated business desks that produce regular segments focusing on industrialisation, profiling progress in agro-processing, energy value chains and beneficiation value chains, just to mention a few examples,” he said.
Minister Soda urged personnel in the Ministry to be innovative in the face of limited resource disbursements from Treasury.
“This mid-term performance review workshop is an opportunity to take stock of our achievements, our challenges and recommit ourselves to delivering on the mandate entrusted to us by His Excellency President Mnangagwa.
“Our Ministry occupies a strategic position in Government as we are mandated to lead in Government messaging. We are the facilitators of access to information, promoters of media development and the protectors of Zimbabwe’s image,” he said.
Minister Soda said while he was encouraged by the progress made so far across all facets of the Ministry’s mandate, there remained significant gaps that must be addressed.
“One of the gaps is the budget. Some programmes have experienced implementation delays due to resource constraints, procurement processes and infrastructure challenges. In some areas, project execution has not progressed at the anticipated pace. As leaders, we must continuously explore innovative solutions rather than allow constraints to define our destiny,” he said.
In his welcome remarks, the Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza, praised the Second Republic’s deliberate move to establish more radio stations in Manicaland than in any other province.
He underscored the importance of community radio stations in disaster management.
“President Mnangagwa has firmly anchored the Second Republic’s media agenda on the democratisation of the airwaves and total information inclusivity, declaring that access to vital development news is a fundamental right that must leave no one and no place behind.
“Under his guidance, the media is recognised not merely as a spectator but as an indispensable pillar of national economic transformation—telling the authentic Zimbabwean story, driving the Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo ethos, and mobilising citizens towards the attainment of Vision 2030,” he said.
Adv Mugadza said Manicaland stood as a beacon of media pluralism and information access under the Second Republic and took great pride in the fact that the province now boasts more radio stations than any other province in Zimbabwe.
“Through the deliberate implementation of the Second Republic’s airwaves democratisation agenda, our communities can now tune into local content tailored to their dialects, cultures and developmental priorities.
“Having experienced the devastation of Cyclone Idai, these stations do not just entertain; they save lives, supporting local voices and helping to build climate resilience in the province.
“They serve as vital disaster management and early warning networks, ensuring that weather warnings, civic information and health advisories reach the most vulnerable in real time,” said Adv Mugadza.
