Zimpapers women trailblazers

Fatima Bulla Musakwa

ZIMPAPERS’ approach to gender equality and equity is paying dividends as women managers within the stable are blazing a trail through opportunities being availed by the company.

A significant number of women now occupy managerial and senior editorial posts in the male dominated industry, in a testament to the company’s positive approach towards women empowerment.

Four women currently sit on the Zimpapers board as non-executive directors namely Ms Rejoice Nharaunda-Makawa, Ms Karren Dube, Mrs Sybil Madzikanda and Ms Tsungai Chibvongodze.

Ms Nharaunda-Makawa is a Human Rights and Development Advocate and the brains behind the popular Issues Pane Nyaya Conversations. This is a talk show that started online but has grown to broadcast across seven radio stations and a television station in Zimbabwe.

Through Issues Pane Nyaya, Ms Nharaunda-Makawa uses media as a tool for transformational justice for girls, women and the marginalised by bringing to the fore complex issues affecting them as well as amplifying the voices of these constituencies.

She is also the Founding Director of Chengeto Africa, which is a regional women’s rights organisation that provides shelter and support to GBV survivors. The organisation is part of the GBV Prevention Network which comprises activists and organisations from 18 countries in Africa working to prevent violence against women.

Through its Shayanewako Empowerment Centre, Chengeto Africa supports the well-being of rural adolescent girls, school drop outs and survivors of child marriages. Ms Nharaunda-Makawa believes the empowerment of women is critical to their development and actualisation but cannot be a one-size-fits-all exercise.

“It has to be customised to meet the specific women and their individual needs. From the woman who sweeps to the woman CEO, each deserves to be empowered in order that they reach their individual maximum potential.

“We need to have corporates that are balancing the equality and equity conversation. Corporations that are deliberately bridging the historical gender gaps in the workplace, where glass ceilings don’t exist and where women can rise through the ranks,” she said.

Ms Chibvongodze, who joined the Zimpapers Board in 2019, said: “Zimpapers is on the right track by investing in mentoring programmes which support career coaching and advancement for gender empowerment within the organisation.

“It is important to weave into the fabric of corporate society, a high-level commitment on engaging strategies for empowering women and diversifying company talent pipelines which are a major human resource asset.

“As well you will notice that Zimpapers has done very well even within the composition of women on the board and at senior management level. We all know that those positions are key in both policy and decision making. Hence Zimpapers is representing well gender empowerment at the decision making table,” she added.

Ms Chibvongodze has served on several boards including the United Nations Association of Dallas and the Adventist Community Services. She brings to the Zimpapers board strong organisational skills.

With over 10 years insight and experience in both Non-Governmental Organisations and Global agencies such as the United Nations, Helen Keller International and World Vision amongst many organisations, she brings a global workprint and a wealth of exposure and experience in managing projects of multiple dimensions across both governmental and non-governmental agencies.

Ms Dube, who joined the Zimpapers Board in 2014, brings her expertise as a Development Practitioner lecturing in the Department of Development Studies at Lupane State University. She has also taught African Languages and Literature at the University of Zimbabwe.

Mrs Madzikanda has more than 20 years banking experience working with Standard Bank in South Africa among other senior positions.

She holds a degree in Business Administration in Industrial Psychology (UNISA) (Menley Management Institute) and a Certificate in Management, Bank Credit Business Administration (Oxford College, UK).

“Women empowerment is about a woman being able to hold her own but the challenge is for women having to double prove themselves as well as balancing other responsibilities of life,” said Mrs Madzikanda.

“Zimpapers is moving in the right direction and women get recognition for holding their own. We can only move from strength to strength”.

Company Secretary and Legal Services Manager for Zimpapers is Mrs Daphne Tomana was appointed company secretary in 2014 having joined Zimpapers in January 2007. She holds a Bachelor of Laws Honours Degree from the University of Zimbabwe (LLBS). Prior to joining Zimpapers, she practiced as a Legal Practitioner from 1997 to 2004 and as a Senior Bank Examiner with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe from 2004 to 2006.

Mrs Tomana has also served on a number boards namely: Zimbabwe Media Commission, Agribank, NICOZ, First Mutual Life and as the deputy and acting chairperson of NSSA.

Zimpapers also has a number of women holding fort as editors of various publications.

These include Mrs Victoria Ruzvidzo, Editor of the Sunday Mail, Ms Nomsa Nkala heading Zimpapers Television Network, Mrs Wendy Nyakurerwa-Matinde who edits The Manica Post and Ms Gugu Ncube, Editor of Umthunywa, a local languages newspaper.

Having joined Zimpapers in 1993 as a sit in correspondent, Mrs Ruzvidzo rose through the ranks until she was promoted to Managing Editor. In  December 2018 she assumed her current position as Editor of The Sunday Mail.

Mrs Ruzvidzo posits that the company’s thrust on women empowerment has been beneficial as evidenced by the number of women who have been promoted and given a chance to shine from the board to the shop floor level.

“Most of these appointments have not been about affirmative action or quota system but women have been promoted on merit and the good thing also is that we have been blessed with a senior executive that sees value in women and that women have potential, capacity and capability to perform even better than men themselves.

“I am most excited and grateful to the chairman, shareholders, executives and everyone who has created these opportunities for us. As women it is also important that once we are entrusted with such roles we should not disappoint but live up to the billing and ensure that we vindicate those who have their faith in us. I think our today is great and our tomorrow is even brighter,” she said.

Mrs Nyakurerwa-Matinde believes Zimpapers is doing very well in empowering women as there are female leaders in almost every department.

“Most importantly, the organisation is not placing women in certain positions just because they are women. People are rewarded for their hard work,” she added.

Mrs Nyakurerwa-Matinde is the first female editor of The Manica Post. She joined The Sunday Mail as an Assistant Editor in 2013.She also worked for the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (Jomic) as a Communications Officer.

While Mrs Nyakurerwa-Matinde is an advocate for women empowerment, she believes women should be rewarded for their hard work and perseverance, not just for being women.

Ms Ncube, Editor of Umthunywa, posited.

“More and more women are being given the chance to grow and fulfill their aspirations in all the different divisions of this vast media house. This is evidenced, for example, by the number of females in senior and middle management positions. We have three females heading newspapers which is more than I can say for other media houses. We as women now occupy the spaces that were previously a preserve for our male counterparts and for that Zimpapers deserves a pat in the back. However, this is not to say we are where we should be in terms of women empowerment because a lot still needs to be done as we would want to see a scenario whereby women occupy top management and decision making positions in equal proportions with their male counterparts one day”.

Ms Ncube joined Zimpapers in 2004 as a junior reporter and became one of the first reporters of the reincarnated Umthunywa. In 2007 she was appointed Senior Reporter before being promoted to her current position three years on.

The post of Group Public Relations and Corporate Affairs Manager is held by Ms Beatrice Tonhodzayi, an established communicator with more than 20 years’ experience in media, public relations and corporate communication among other skills.

Ms Tonhodzayi started as a reporter at The Herald before being promoted to Senior Health Reporter. She later joined Southern Africa HIV and Aids Information Dissemination Service (SafAids) as a Programme Officer responsible for media.

During that period, she also became a National Aids Council Board member, serving for a three-year stint. Ms Tonhodzayi joined Star FM in 2012 as Head of News and Current Affairs before she was promoted to her current post.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies, an MBA as well as diplomas in Mass Communication and Public Relations and Marketing.

Ms Tendai Hildegarde Manzvanzvike, who is the current head of the Zimpapers Knowledge Centre, believes as a media house Zimpapers could not report about major gender developments in other sectors, without looking at what it was doing about it, itself.

“That the company is opening up spaces for women and allowing them to take up key decision-making positions is the expected direction the organisation should take, until parity is achieved. The women getting into these key positions are doing so on merit,” she said.

An information scientist, writer; socio-cultural and political commentator, she has held a number of senior positions within Zimpapers, including Group Foreign News Editor.

Her experience in the information and knowledge chain was gained in the past three decades, and it includes ideas generation, research, writing, analysis, editing, publishing, packaging and organisation of information on various platforms. At one point, she contributed four weekly columns in The Herald, the Sunday Mail and Kwayedza (vernacular newspaper).

The Herald’s Managing Editor, Ms Ruth Butaumocho, has been with the organisation for the past 20 years. She joined Zimpapers as a Junior Reporter in 2000.

Rising to become a Senior Reporter, Ms Butaumocho in no time was promoted to Acting Features Editor.

From there she became the Entertainment Editor, a position she held between 2009 and 2013.

With a passion for gender issues, she anchored the Gender Forum column for a decade before she assumed the position of Gender Editor from 2013 to 2018.

“Being Managing Editor of The Herald means I should continue to ensure that there is gender equality in every aspect. Remember the newsroom has been considered as a male domain.

“It’s for that reason that when you look at figures, women numbers are still low in the newsroom. They come and they are challenged with the environment of a daily newspaper, attitudes and perceptions so they leave and go to Public Relations. So my beat is to ensure that women are given equal opportunities,” she said.

Another senior manager is Ms Roselyne Sachiti who holds The Herald Features, Health and Society Editor post.

Ms Sachiti has worked for The Herald for over 16 years and has massive experience in the media, especially the area of development feature writing, requiring her to travel the length and breadth of Zimbabwe and the African continent for stories.

She started off as a junior reporter at The Sunday Mail and has won numerous local and international awards.

Further, she has also won many fellowships, one of them being the highly competitive President Obama’s initiated Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.

Another media veteran is Ms Phyllis Kachere who is The Herald Deputy Editor for Convergence. She joined the newspaper in 2012 from The Sunday Mail after brief stints at Ziana. She has won numerous media awards in Environmental news, Health and Human Rights. Ms Kachere has a passion for children and women’s rights.

As a vastly growing company, Zimpapers’ Radio Division has women occupying managerial posts as well.

For Mrs Nyaradzo Makombe-Hazangwi who is Capitalk 100.4 FM’s Station Manager, Zimpapers has taken a step in the right direction.

“Let’s see full implementation of the gender policy to respond to equal opportunities, equal pay and decisively dealing with sexual harassment,” she said.

Mrs Hazangwi joined the radio station in 2017 as Chief Producer responsible for content strategy, managing on-air talent and training interns among other responsibilities.

Prior to that, she worked at Star FM in 2014 as a producer/presenter on the English news desk and was elevated to senior producer/presenter.

When the Zimpapers Group started the Zimpapers Television Network (ZTN), she assumed the role of Head of Output. As fate would have it, Mrs Hazangwi found herself back at Capitalk 100.4 FM and was later appointed Station Manager last year. She became the first female radio station manager in the Zimpapers group.

At Star FM is Ms Linda Muriro who holds the Head of News post. She joined the commercial radio at its inception in 2012 as a News Producer/Presenter and rose through the ranks over the years to become Current Affairs Producer/Presenter, Assignment Editor, until she assumed her current position.

With over 10 years’ experience, she is popular with audiences for her hard hitting discussion programmes such as City Watch, The Ministers’ Desk and “Muriro on Monday”. Ms Muriro is among radio and television personalities who were last year appointed Zimbabwe TB Champions.

Another towering personality within Zimpapers is Ms Phillipa Gomo who is Zimpapers’ first female Advertising and Marketing Manager.

Ms Gomo has 39 years of marketing experience having joined The Herald in 1982 where she trained and became a cashier. She was later to hold positions of a tele-ad typist, a section in the advertising department which had coloured and whites only.

She then moved to selling display adverts before she was promoted to Brand Manager for The Herald. She then became the Business Manager – Sales, a post that she held for 15 years.

Ms Gomo applauded Zimpapers management for its efforts in promoting women in the group to posts which were previously dominated by men.

“They are recognising talent, hard work, trust to women based on their capabilities. Women can also deliver or surpass quality service offered by their male counterparts. Zimpapers is taking women to higher levels and this really motivates us. I encourage all the young women to work harder and fight for their space within the company,” she said.

Another experienced manager is Mrs Elizabeth Mushonga who is the company’s National Copy Sales Manager. She has been with Zimpapers in various business capacities for 15 years. Her current position involves newspaper sales and distribution in print and digital formats.

She has vast experience in business development, sales, distribution and marketing. Mrs Mushonga also has experience sitting on corporate boards and has a passion for developing others in her sphere.

Mrs Phillipah Chikuta who is the Financial Accountant said she has seen a general increase in women being employed within Zimpapers.

“There also has been an increase in the number of women within the management structure. For instance, I head the Cashbook team and within that team are six women and a man,” said Mrs Chikuta who joined Zimpapers in 2007 as a graduate trainee.

In 2010 she was confirmed as the Assistant Accountant before assuming the post of Management Accountant from 2012 until 2016.

Summing up Zimpapers’ thrust towards women empowerment, the company’s board chairman, Mr Tommy Sithole, said giving women opportunities is not something the company takes lightly.

“It’s part of our culture. We treat women like anyone else. Not only in administration but you can see that the shareholders think the same as reflected by our female board members. Women must be given equal opportunities. Gender equity is an ingrained policy in what we do,” Mr Sithole said.