WE’RE 15 AND WE’RE STILL GOING STRONG

H-METRO!

It’s a name which is a big part of the Zimbabwe media landscape.

This is our birthday month and we waited until the final weekend of this month for us to raise the glass, propose a toast and say THANK YOU ZIMBABWE!

We are 15 years old.

Our first publication hit the streets on September 7, 2009 and, in the last 15 years, we have become a big part of Zimbabwe.

We say thank you to everyone who has been singing in our corner – our loyal readers, our advertisers and even our competitors who have, unknowingly, kept us on our toes and inspired us to always produce a newspaper our owners are proud of.

Fifteen is a special number in this country.

It took 15 years between Ian Smith coming up with his Unilateral Declaration of Independence on November 11, 1965, and our country celebrating its Independence in 1980.

Fifteen years later, in 1995, we hosted our biggest sporting event – the Sixth All-Africa Games in ‘95.

Another 15 years later, the only FIFA World Cup to be staged in Africa exploded across our southern border with the mighty Brazilians even coming here to prepare for the tournament.

In the past 15 years we have become this country’s leading lifestyle tabloid.

It has been quite an amazing journey for this newspaper, whose founding Editor was Lawrence Moyo.

He started from scratch with his team and worked tirelessly to produce a product that was acceptable to the market.

Larry, who is now the head of sport at our parent company Zimpapers, has remained a part of us and helps us in the challenges we deal with every day.

He passed on the baton to current Editor, Robson Sharuko, on December 1, 2021.

“Larry is family and he is a big part of our family and we owe him the world for the work he invested in helping this newspaper become what it is today,” said Sharuko.

“His dedication to duty is amazing and I should know because we have walked together in this journalism journey from our days at The Herald Sports Desk.

“His patience is a big part of his strength and you need that when dealing with the stories which we cover in this newspaper.

“For someone who is a loyal fan of Liverpool, it’s amazing he has such a huge oasis of patience.”

In this digital era, we have encountered several challenges, brought about by the changing world, but we have adjusted and continue to provide relevant and fresh content for our readers.

Social media has changed the game but we are charmed by the reality that, when it comes to verified news, the majority of readers in this country still trust us as the medium of choice.

“I always tell my boss the story of my sister, Amai Mary, who took my branded H-Metro jacket when I went home to Chakari one day,” said Sharuko.

“She called me one day and said she experienced a bizarre incident when she went to attend a funeral deep down in rural Gokwe.

“She said one night they decided to go and buy some drinks in a night club in Gokwe.

“She said she realised that a number of women, who were in the night club, started to leave once she stepped in and waited for her turn to be served.

“One male patron then came to her and told her that the ladies in the night club were not comfortable with having an H-Metro reporter in the pub.”

That’s the impact that H-Metro has made for itself over the past 15 years and its influence is felt in the rural outposts like Gokwe.

These days, our social media handles have become the go-to platforms for the latest in lifestyle news.

The engagement and feedback we are getting from our readers online show that H-Metro remains the people’s newspaper.

We have deliberately taken a lead in raising awareness against the violation of women and children and we have been hailed for raising awareness against gender-based violence as well as fighting drug and substance abuse.

Your support remains invaluable and we are looking forward to another 15 years.

Fifteen is considered “an extremely lucky number.”

They say if you keep seeing the number 15 everywhere, it could be a sign that you are entering a period of change and growth.

They say it may be time to take on new challenges or opportunities.

If that is the case, then we are ready at 15.

Team H-Metro