Vusumuzi Dube
Pikirayi Deketeke CEO Zimpapers
The effects of sanctions on the Zimbabwean economy have been felt across the board and Zimpapers has not been spared.
The problems that have affected industry in general include the high cost of borrowing, tight liquidity, outdated technology and machinery, low aggregate demand, reduced access to raw materials and difficulties in effecting international payments using international payment platforms. These have also had an impact on how Zimpapers has performed in the last two decades, limiting the vast potential that lies in the company.
However, Zimpapers has taken a cue from the Government’s push for innovation in the face of sanctions.
As the biggest and largest media company in the country, Zimpapers has taken advantage of the Government’s endeavour to create an enabling environment for the media by making strategic decisions. Key among these is diversifying operations to buffer the company from the economic vagaries brought about by the sanctions.
We may need to give a historical context to how Zimpapers has evolved since its birth in 1980.
In 1981, what we now know as Zimpapers was owned by Argus Press, a foreign-held entity. At Independence, nothing could have stopped the new Government from turning Rhodesian Printing and Publishing Company – which owned The Rhodesian Herald, The Sunday Mail, The Chronicle and Manica Post – into a party-owned media company.
But the Government didn’t do so. Instead, Rhodesian Printing and Publishing Company was turned into Zimpapers, under the purview of the Mass Media Trust, a body representing the public. Zimpapers is publicly listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, which means any Zimbabwean can own part of it. That is a testament to Government’s commitment to promoting public ownership of the media company and pluralism.
The coming of sanctions
Zimpapers never diverted from its national mandate of informing, educating, entertaining and disseminating news that projects the image of the country positively.
It is the strategic growth beyond its newspaper roots, going into digital as well as television and radio, that has seen Zimpapers not only create a buffer that preserved value, but one that has ensured growth ahead of competitors.
Yes, Zimpapers has had to compete for every inch of market share that it has garnered. It must be acknowledged that Zimpapers has had to toil for its growth.
One example is how the company worked hard to win a television licence.
It took over five years of investment and preparation for Zimpapers to become worthy of a TV licence. The licence was not awarded out of benevolence, but out of the recognition of Zimpapers’ capacity to deliver. Today, any observer watching Zimpapers Television Network (ZTN) cannot doubt that this platform is the outcome of real groundwork, and that the licence was awarded out of merit. ZTN is a shining evidence of the capacity of Zimpapers to soldier on and innovate in the face of adversity.
OPENING UP OF OPPORTUNITIES
In the spirit of deepening and broadening the democratic space and promoting media development, the New Dispensation opened opportunities for media companies to thrive by removing regulations that restricted the operations of media houses and journalists. Amendments that replaced the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and the licensing of multiple radio and TV stations, for example, showed that the Government was keen to deliver on its promises to open the media space.
The Government has been instrumental in issuing licenses to community radio stations as a way of leaving no voices unheard, and leaving no one behind.
Through the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, the Government has opened itself up to the public. One such route has been the introduction of the Cabinet briefing where all journalists are invited and are free to ask any questions.
This ensures that accurate information about the business of the Government is disseminated and to ensure transparency in the operations of the Government.
It is in this environment of increased plurality that Zimpapers is thriving.
As traditional media are being overtaken by media in many markets, Zimpapers has continued to grow through diversification and innovation, while still maintaining its dominance of those traditional platforms.
In both the daily and the weekly market for newspapers, Zimpapers has maintained market leadership because it recognises the diversity of audiences and produces tailor-made products to suit various tastes.
NATIONAL MANDATE
We understand that as the public media, we have a national mandate to ensure that our message or news is couched within the understanding of our national interests. But we are not designed along political lines but the dictates of the market.
Our existence has never stifled the operations of other media companies or news outlets. This is evidenced by the existence of a plethora of online news publications, some of whose business thrust is to be perennially hostile to the Government.
In other words, there is no monopoly by the Government in both mainstream and digital media to justify the hostility often exhibited by countries that imposed sanctions on the country.
The often-cited allegation that the public media is slanted against the opposition is inaccurate. We strive to present all sides of the story. Many will testify to the existence of a programme called The Chase on ZTN where all players are invited for discussions on topical issues. We, however, face a challenge when our journalists go and cover events or rallies of opposition players. Often, they are harassed or assaulted. Yet, private media journalists freely cover national events or those of the ruling party without any hassles.
As news people, we are not blind to what happens around the world.
Those who have imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe in the name of freedom of expression turn a blind eye to disturbing events that happen elsewhere. The journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in 2018, but no punitive measures were put on his killers, who happen to be allies of those who would accuse Zimbabwe of stifling media freedoms. It is clear that sanctions have little to do with democracy as claimed, but it is all about foreign policy interests and a race war in retaliation over land restitution.
There are many examples of this hypocrisy. Due to the Ukraine war, we have seen the shutting down of the Russia Today television channel by the same forces that claim to be paragons of media freedom and democracy. Julian Assange remains in jail for his work as a journalist.
There is no real justification for the continued existence of sanctions on Zimbabwe given the efforts that have been undertaken by the Government to liberalise the media space and ensure that there is a multiplicity of media voices in the country.
The reforms by the Government have not been undertaken because of any pressure from any quarters, but because they are good for the country and its citizens.
As Zimpapers, we will continue to play our part to serve the public, in the face of external hostility.
This write-up is part of Zimpapers CEO’s presentation at the Anti-Sanctions Solidarity Summit organised by the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services in Harare yesterday. It was read on his behalf by Zimpapers Group Political Editor Ranga Mataire.
Online Reporter