Harare, (New Ziana) – Plans are underway to establish a board to oversee the operations of the national news agency, New Ziana, the Zimbabwe Mass Media Trust (ZMMT) executive secretary, Ray Mungoshi has said.
New Ziana is a subsidiary of the ZMMT which oversees operations of State-owned print media organisations including Zimpapers.
In remarks at the beginning of a three-day strategic planning workshop in Harare on Friday, Mungoshi said an audit at ZMMT and New Ziana recommended that New Ziana operate independently of the Trust management to uphold best corporate governance practices.
“We have engaged the Permanent Secretary (of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services) on this matter and the Minister is working on the modalities to appoint the board,” said Mungoshi. “For recruiting key management positions, including operations manager, marketing manager, IT manager and personal assistant/secretary, a request has been submitted to Treasury through the Permanent Secretary. The process is currently underway.”
The workshop comes at a time when the ZMMT plans to modernize, grow revenue streams and foster organizational growth as it emerges from a year marked by slow business performance due to a challenging economic environment characterised by hyperinflation and limited financial resources.
Mungoshi said hyperinflation disrupted budgets and increased operational costs, creating financial challenges. While advertising revenue remained low, marketing initiatives such as editorial campaigns and supplements provided a welcome boost with the adoption of e-papers and digital platforms expected to drive future growth.
Outlining the ZMMT plans, Mungoshi said efforts are being concentrated on transitioning to digital platforms to address declining advertising revenues and unsustainable printing costs. This will be done through ceasing hardcopy printing and fully adopting online distribution to expand reach and reduce expenses.
“Challenges in the marketing department include inactive social media platforms, understaffing, and inadequate budgets, which have hindered outreach efforts. To address these issues, management plans to enhance visibility through consistent social media activity, expand marketing teams in underserved regions, and diversify content to attract broader audiences,” he said.
At the News Agency, Mungoshi said reporters are being encouraged to produce real-time updates, short videos and multimedia content to align with contemporary media trends.
“Community newspapers have experienced mixed performance, with some outlets excelling in coverage while others struggled due to inconsistent commitment and staffing challenges,” said Mungoshi. “To address this, management plans to strengthen training, reassign underperforming reporters and hire additional graduate trainees for both editorial and marketing roles to boost overall output.”
He said progress in the real estate division was constrained by financial limitations, delaying planned renovations although notable milestones were achieved in Gwanda and Gweru. In Karoi, a building was refurbished at a cost of $4 500 under a long-term lease agreement with the tenant recovering the refurbishment costs from the rentals.
“Key priorities for the division include reconciling payables with local authorities, pursuing legal action against defaulting tenants, reviewing rental rates and maximising the use of underutilised spaces to increase revenue.”
‘Staffing levels remain critically low, with efforts underway to recruit additional reporters and marketing personnel. Management is actively engaging with the Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Finance to secure approval for key hires and salary adjustments,” said the executive secretarty.
New Ziana