GWERU – Recently elected Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) chairperson for Gweru Vincent
Mhene has promised a cocktail of initiatives that he hopes will bring significant changes to the
Fourth Estate in the Midlands capital.
The 98.4FM Midlands current affairs programmes host said his executive would deal with several
issues so as to bring the profession back on the map.
“The first issue is obviously that of the welfare of journalists. This is key to many of us and things are
not so good in that department. So some of the initiatives that we need to roll out are primarily
meant to improve the welfare of members and that includes lobbying for better salaries as well as
working conditions,” Mhene said.
He added that they also want to tackle the issue of polarisation especially prior to, during and after
the national harmonised elections next year.
“What usually happens towards the country’s general elections is that we have a lot of polarisation
within the media or among us as journalists.
“We have to address this, as this will help us when we deal with political actors where sometimes we
get into violent environments. Polarisation sometimes exacerbates that and so we have to deal with
it as the new executive in Gweru.
“On that front again, we have to deal with the safety of journalists as we are going towards elections
in December and in 2023.
“We have to come up with initiatives or measures that will ensure that journalists are safe when
discharging their duties and part of that includes engaging these political actors, security services,
elements and institutions that we feel if we do not have a good working relationship with, they
maybe a threat to our safety as we conduct our activities,” he said.
ZUJ secretary general Perfect Hlongwane said the new committee has a big role ahead of them.
Hlongwane said the welfare of journalists was of paramount importance and has to be pursued
adding that the union currently does not have funding but the new national executive would look at
that.
He appealed to members to support the union through payment of subscriptions.
The Mhene led executive comes almost a decade after the last one was elected due to inactivity of
the union.
The Gweru executive includes vice chairperson Thelma Wandayi, secretary Johnsias Mutonhori,
deputy secretary Tendai Chifunyise, treasurer Sukoluhle Ndlovu and committee members Evidence
Chipadza and Elias Maginya.