HARARE – The Zimbabwe Newspapers Group (Zimpapers) sacked a sub editor, and a second resigned on the eve of a disciplinary hearing over a reader’s comment wishing death on “someone in the Zanu PF presidium.”
Chief sub editor Washington Rungano Gwanzura and sub editor Tinashe Chuma were suspended in February after the comment – lifted from Twitter – was published in the Readers Feedback page of the tabloid H-Metro.
Zimpapers – which is firmly controlled by Zimbabwe’s information ministry – apologised for the publication before quickly identifying Gwanzura and Chuma as the fall guys.
Chuma resigned on the eve of a hearing last week. Gwanzura, meanwhile, was found guilty of a serious breach of the Zimpapers Code of Conduct and fired.
Gwanzura confirmed his axing on Monday, adding that he was taking legal advice.
The comment was added to the page late at night when Chuma needed to fill up space – but he did not appear to have read it through for the sting at the end, before it slipped through the proof-reading processes and into print.
The tweet started innocently enough, mourning dancehall singer Soul Jah Love.
It read: “Rest in Peace Sauro. Your music impacted us in so many ways. We have lost a Zimdancehall legend in you. Hapana zvitangaida, kutonga kwaMwari (there is nothing we can do, it’s the will of God). If only we had a say, tingadei tati kufe mumwe munhu weZanu PF arimu presidium (If only we had a say, we would have said someone in the Zanu PF presidium should die instead). Go well legend.”
Zimpapers said Gwanzura, being in overall charge of the page design and quality controls, should have stopped the comment from making it into the paper.
A Zimpapers insider said staff were “bitterly disappointed” with the decision to fire him.
“Gwanzura was responsible for most of the brilliant design work at Zimpapers, and his exit for something so innocuous is difficult to understand,” one journalist said.
