By Martin Muleya
Zimbabwe – Mutare- Chairperson of the Information and Media Panel of Inquiry Mr Geoffrey Nyarota last week refuted allegations that (News Of The South)- Zanu-Pf secretary for Labour and Production in Manicaland Cde Nathaniel Mhiripiri disrupted the panel’s second outreach government programme that was held early last week in Rusape.
The inquiry which was held at Vengere hall was meant to gather public views on information and media industry.
Addressing media practitioners and hundreds of residents at Mutare Hall, last Tuesday, Mr Nyarota said the article that was published in a daily newspaper came out in a bad taste and portrayed the deficiencies and operating challenges our media finds itself in.
“I am shocked by the article written in a state daily newspaper, those are lies. Ndakange ndiri umwe wevanhu vakange varipo pa-outreach ipapo asi hapana kuitika zvakadai (I was one of the people who attended the outreach meeting in Rusape but nothing of that sort ever happened).
The article really came out in a bad taste and it portrays some of the deficiencies and operating challenges that need urgent redress.
“Our government mandate is to promote and elevate the standards of media practice. Broadly, we do not tolerate and condone media which fabricates lies and falsehoods that do not help anyone in our society.
We are working towards eliminating some of the loop-holes created in the media industry,” he said.
Last Tuesday a local daily newspaper reported that a Zanu-Pf politician in Rusape disrupted the outreach meeting because he had not been informed of such a meeting and that the chairperson of the media panel was an MDC-T losing candidate in the just ended harmonised elections held on July 31, 2013..
It was reported that Cde Mhiripiri protested the inclusion of Mr Nyarota fearing that he would use the platform to further the MDC-T interests.
Mr Nyarota said that the outreach meeting was not a political grandstanding but rather a government business meant to capture media views from stakeholders.
“Cde Mhiripiri arrived during cluster group consultations threatened to lock people inside Vengere hall while some people who accompanied him said they would assault everyone,” the newspaper reported.
“You people should go back and tell who ever sent you that Cde Mhiripiri sent us back and advised us to come back when we have informed him of the meeting,” the paper allegedly quoted him as
saying.
But Cde Mhiripiri however hit back saying he was shocked by the media report as he was happy seeing government of the day carrying such crucial programs meant to develop the information sector without political interference.
“I am a politician but my role is not to disrupt government programmes. We are there to further the interests of our people,” said Cde Mhiripiri.
Coordinator of the IMPI outreach meetings cum journalist, Grace Mutandwa expressed gratitude with the attendance of the public in their meetings but bemoaned the lack of communication felt in their first meeting in Marondera that resulted in a low attendance of the public.
<br
she said that the Mutare meeting was well attended with people showing maturity in their submissions to the panel.
“Generally we are happy with our interactions with the captains of industry, stakeholders and media consumers. They are giving their views on what the media in Zimbabwe should be structured. I hope that the final product of these outreach meetings will give the best business media industry in our country,” said Mutandwa.
Meanwhile contributors in Mutare implored different media houses to tell the truth without inciting hate speech and immoral behaviour among people.
High on the contributions was the establishment of the Media National Employment Council which journalists said would improve their welfare and working conditions in the country’s newsrooms, cessation of repressive laws such as POSA and enact laws that encourage media development, human capacity development as well as media freedom.
Opening up of more broadcasting stations in both radio and television also took centre stage with the majority of people castigating the media of being used to peddle views on political lines, which they say will not develop the country.
Government established IMPI late last year to help government access the state of information and media industry in Zimbabwe. It is the first such study of the important information and media sector since independence in 1980.
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