President appoints new ZBC board

Chronicler Writer

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has appointed seven-member board for the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) chaired by Ms Helliate Rushwaya.

Ms Rushwaya has previously served as an interim chief executive officer for the State broadcaster.

Other board members are prominent lawyer Advocate Lewis Uriri, Ms Chipo Nheta, Ms Precious Charandura, Mr Charles Munganasa, Dr Henry Mukono and Dr Naneti Silikuni.

Acting Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary, Mr Jonathan Gandari confirmed the appointments.

He said additional board members will be appointed in due course.

Meanwhile, ZBC has taken action against its employees who have caused national uproar after they claimed that colonialism was necessary while claiming that King Lobengula sold the country for sugar.

It is public record that King Lobengula used diplomatic methods to fight off colonialism and when diplomacy failed his amabutho took arms against the whites who had superior gun power.

The famous Gadade and Pupu battles prove that King Lobengula and the Ndebele state fiercely resisted colonialism from its inception.

On the other hand, the presenters’ claims that colonialism was a necessary evil have received backlash considering that Africans were inhumanely treated by the colonialists.

Africans had to take up arms to liberate themselves from the oppressive system of the settlers. 

In a statement, the national broadcaster said the sentiments of the presenters do not reflect its policy. 

“The ZBC extends its apologies to the people of Zimbabwe and its audiences regarding the inappropriate remarks made by the presenters of ‘Good Morning Zimbabwe’ on Wednesday, 3rd January 2024. “The national broadcaster places it on record that the said remarks do not represent the views of the ZBC,” reads the statement.

The broadcaster assured the nation that it upholds a comprehensive editorial policy that places national interests at the forefront of all content and measures were being taken against the involved staffers.