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Pamela Shumba Senior Reporter
ZIMPAPERS group chief executive officer Pikirayi Deketeke yesterday said he was proud that the group had managed to make a profit in 2015, with the majority of the company’s papers in Bulawayo doing well.
Addressing members of staff at a retreat in Bulawayo yesterday, Deketeke said the group had managed to turn around its fortunes despite the prevailing economic challenges.
“When we started 2015 we were in a loss of about $12 million. We didn’t know whether we were going to make it through the year. We thought we would collapse along the way and Bulawayo was really a pretty tough place to be in because things weren’t working well.
“I’m happy to say we’ve weathered the storm, we’ve managed to pull through and we’re optimistic that 2016 will be a much better year for us, considering some of the strategies that we’re planning to employ in the coming year,” said Deketeke.
He said it was unfortunate that the group was forced to send some of its employees home in an effort to streamline.
He commended Zimpapers staff members for working hard to keep the business afloat.
“It’s not a secret that Bulawayo’s economy has been going through serious challenges and tough times. Southern Eye came in to compete with us but they collapsed. Zimpapers’ own businesses such as Typocrafters shut down and sent people home but Zimpapers staff have done an amazing job,” said Deketeke.
“We’re not only surviving today but we’re likely to end the year with a bit of a profit, not a huge profit but a profit all the same, which is really due to the stories that our reporters write, the newspapers that we print and the advertising that we do, which makes us what we’re today, to have a business that’s driven by the content of our newspapers.”
He said the majority of the company’s titles in Bulawayo were doing well.
“We hold our heads high because we’ve done it in 2015. We’re proud that we’ve managed to turn Bulawayo around, The Chronicle, The Sunday News, B-Metro and Umthunywa struggling along but we’ve done it and I want to say thank you to everyone,” he said.
The CEO also assured journalists that the company will stand with them in times of trouble.
“Besides the business story, what also brings us here is to strengthen you as our reporters, to discuss what it means to be a journalist and what it means to work for Zimpapers.
“Some of our colleagues in Harare were arrested for writing stories, appeared on television and in the newspapers and some of you might want to know if they’re safe or protected by the company,” said Deketeke.
“We write stories for Zimpapers as a company and it makes money through the stories. The company will always be there to protect its journalists when they’re in trouble and take all necessary measures.
“Journalism is a profession of telling the truth as it is, you might get shot, beaten up or arrested for it but the glory is that we’re able to tell the story to the society.”
Online Reporter