Trust Khosa
Veteran journalist and former Herald Assistant Editor, Ropafadzo Mapimhidze, has died.
Mapimhidze, who rose through the ranks at Zimbabwe Newspapers to become the first female Assistant Editor at The Herald, died in Zambia on Thursday where she had travelled on private business. She was 66.
Her brother, Mr Hapaguti Mapimhidze, confirmed her death.
“It’s true that my sister died yesterday (Thursday) in Zambia. She was on business there, where we also own a house in Kitwe,” he said.
“We have lost a loving sister who was always there for us. She ran her race, and we will miss her dearly.”
Mapimhidze started her career as an information officer with the Ministry of Information before she and the late Paul Chidyausiku, Isaiah Mhizha and Gervaise Chitewe were transferred to Zimbabwe Newspapers from the Ministry in 1985 to launch the media group’s vernacular publication, Kwayedza.
A renowned author and journalist Chidyausiku was the founding editor of Kwayedza/Umthunywa, while Mapimhidze, Mhizha and Chitewe completed the team of four scribes who pioneered the vernacular tabloid in August 1985.
Mapimhidze’s death means all the four pioneers of Kwayedza are now late after Chidyausiku passed on last year while Mhizha and Chitewe died in the 1990s.
At the Ministry of Information, Mapimhidze was district information officer in Mutare while Chidyausiku was head of Foreign Services. Mhizha and Chitewe joined from The People’s Weekly which was run by the Ministry.
The four-member editorial team made Kwayedza a popular newspaper and the publication once hit a landmark circulation of 100 000 copies per week.
“That was incredible, but we did it.
“A banquet was held for the four of us to celebrate this achievement. I also got an award for Women’s Affairs writer of the year on two occasions.
“This triggered so much interest from the University of Zimbabwe Department of Languages where Professor Hebert Chimhundu sought or consulted about new Shona words to upgrade an existing Shona dictionary that time known as Dura Remazwi,” said Mapimhidze in an obituary she wrote for Chidyausiku in The Herald last year.
