eBusiness Weekly
Tinashe Makichi
Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa has implored Zimbabwe Newspapers’ newly launched exclusively business publication, Business Weekly, to portray the real unfolding economic story about Zimbabwe.
The Treasury chief said the newspaper should break away from a bandwagon of media outlets that seek to attract the attention of readers through sensationalizing news stories.
Minister Chinamasa made the remarks while receiving a donation of a year’s subscription of the Business Weekly from listed seed company SeedCo yesterday.
The ministries of Agriculture, Mechanisation and irrigation Development, Local Government, Public Works and National Housing and Industry and Commerce will also benefit. SeedCo will pay subscriptions for five copies of the Business Weekly to each ministry.
He implored the Business Weekly editorial team to make the publication the go to newspaper.
“We want the publication to portray the true Zimbabwe story rather than what has been happening in the media landscape where there has been massive sensitionalisation of our affairs. A lot of positive economic developments have been taking place and we hope the Business Weekly is going to tell the true story,” he said.
The minister implored SeedCo to extend the gesture to other key economic ministries such as Mines and Mining Development, Tourism and Hospitality, Transport and Infrastructure Development and Energy and Power Development.
SeedCo corporate affairs and public relations manager Marjorie Mutemererwa said the gesture by Zimbabwe’s biggest seed producer was aimed at supporting Government’s plea to see the positive story of the country being told.
She said the decision by Zimpapers, Zimbabwe biggest and only listed media group to come up with a business publication to drive the business agenda was commendable.
She said SeedCo was moved by the minister’s remarks on the launch ceremony for Business Weekly about economic developments that are not being told truthfully.
“We are quite confident that the paper under the shrewd leadership of Happiness (Zengeni) is going to execute its mandate to the fullest and also meet the reader’s needs,” said Ms Mutemererwa.
Ms Mutemererwa said that what was encouraging was that the editorial team had sought input from various ministries such as Finance and Agriculture and had also invited companies at the top level including SeedCo.
Other companies who came for input meetings before the launch include the Infrastructure and Development Bank of Zimbabwe, BancABC, Securities and Exchange Commission, Smartvest, Zimra represented by chairman Willia Bonyongwe, Meikles, Cimas, CBZ Holdings, MMC Capital, National Social Security Authority, Innscor, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. Other key stakeholders who were consulted include Members of Parliament Tapiwa Mashakada, Psychology Maziwisa, Eddie Cross and businessman Tommy Sithole, lawyer Addington Chinake and lobbyist Lawrence Mabhanga
Zimpapers launched the weekly business publication last week as it continues to explore various growth strategies to enhance its dominance on the local media landscape.
