Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Veteran Zimbabwe Photo Journalist Zvomuya Dies
Veteran Zimbabwe photojournalist Fidelis Zvomuya has died.
April 29, 2014
Senior Reporter
Zimbabwe Herald

Award-winning veteran photo journalist, trainer and former Herald chief photographer Fidelis Zvomuya has died. He was 63. Zvomuya died yesterday morning at his farm in Marondera. He is survived by his wife Gladys and eight children. The deceased’s brother Wellington yesterday said Fidelis’ death came as a major blow to the family and they were still trying to come to terms with reality.

“He was my brother, father and mentor,” he said. “He is a great loss to the family as he was a unifier who did not discriminate when helping family members.” Mourners are gathered at Zvomuya’s farm in Marondera and he will be buried in Seke on a date to be announced.

Zimpapers Editor-in-Chief Pikirayi Deketeke, who worked with Zvomuya at The Herald, described him as a rare photo-journalist.

“He was a seasoned photo-journalist who in his career at The Herald managed to capture the rarest pictures, including Nelson Mandela (former South African President) kissing Graca Machel when they came to Zimbabwe in 1996, breaking in picture the story of their relationship.

“His contribution to training of photo-journalists will always be cherished by the profession.”

Zimbabwe Union of Journalists president Michael Chideme said the union was greatly saddened by the death of the seasoned photo-journalist.

“Zvomuya was a cut above the rest,” he said. “Besides an illustrious career in the newsroom, Fidelis invested in the profession that was so dear to his heart. He became a trainer of photo-journalists. Today, newsrooms are full of his products. He travelled a good journey. The profession has lost a mentor, teacher and an inspiration.”

Herald chief photographer Regis Nyandima, who worked with Zvomuya for a long time, said the nation had been robbed of a trainer and photo-journalist par excellence.

Zvomuya joined Zimpapers in the 70’s and rose through the ranks to become The Herald’s first black chief photographer, taking over from Jack White. He held the position until 2003 when he retired on health grounds.


Editors challenge defamation laws

April 29, 2014
Herald Reporter

The Zimbabwe National Editors’ Forum has resolved to engage lawyers to challenge the constitutionality of criminal defamation on the basis that it is not in tandem with the new Constitution. Editors who attended a ZINEF meeting yesterday, also said the Public Order and Security Act and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act should be struck off or be re-aligned with the new charter.

The Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Professor Jonathan Moyo is on record having said criminal defamation laws breached the new Constitution.

Chapter 9:23 of Section 96 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act is due to be repealed as it has been found to be contrary to the Constitution.

Prof Moyo said his ministry reviewed the constitutionality of criminal defamation in terms the new Constitution and concluded there was no legal basis for retaining a law that was against progressive values rooted in the liberation struggle.

ZINEF said in a statement that self-regulation was the best practice for the profession. Lawyer Mr David Tandiri, who spoke at the editors’ meeting on criminal defamation, said the affluent in society were using the law to inhibit freedom of expression.

“The law seeks to protect the society’s best man,” he said. “The right to be informed is threatened by the law and public officials should be open to scrutiny,” he said.


Call to revive ZBC-TV

April 29, 2014
Munyaradzi Musiiwa
Midlands Correspondent

Gweru residents have called for the revitalisation of ZBC-TV so that it becomes a broadcaster of choice. Contributing to an Information and Media Panel of Inquiry consultative meeting in Mkoba last week, residents said Zimbabweans were shunning ZBC-TV due to substandard programmes and poor picture and sound quality.

“It is disheartening to learn that people have resorted to international broadcasters because our own broadcaster is failing to cope with the people’s expectations”, said one resident.

“We appeal to Government to save ZBC-TV so that it once again becomes the most popular television station in the country.

“If we are to compare the quality of programmes that we used to watch on ZBC-TV in the 1990s and the ones being aired today, it shows that the standards have dropped. Even the quality of advertisements has also deteriorated. We want our old ZBC-TV back.”

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