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BULAWAYO — The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists plunged deeper into a crisis yesterday when another election, described as a “sham” by journalists was held in Bulawayo yesterday.
Dumisani Sibanda was re-elected president of ZUJ, almost three months after his initial victory was set aside.
Sibanda, the news editor for The Sunday News will be deputised by Michael Chideme (Herald) and Mercy Pote (ZBC).
Secretary general Foster Dongozi retained his post while Pamenus Tuso, Regis Chingawo, Emmanuel Mawadza, Mvelo Zondo and Nunurai Jena were elected committee members.
The new treasurer is Evince Gumbate (ZBC) while Terrence Mapurisana and Godfrey Mutimba become training and development officers respectively.
However the union’s problems are still far from being resolved after a group of journalists who challenged last year’s elections immediately dismissed the outcome of the polls.
The journalists who launched a High Court challenge following last year’s discredited elections also held outside Bulawayo described yesterday’s polls as a “sham.”
They immediately wrote to the ZUJ and Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), which was invited to monitor the elections expressing their dissatisfaction.
They are claiming that they were barred from the congress and that ZUJ violated the constitution in the run-up to the congress.
“The national council did not meet in terms of the ZUJ constitution to decide the date, time and venue of the congress and therefore the so-called congress is null and void,” reads the letter of protest the journalists wrote to ZUJ yesterday.
“The national council is the only body mandated by the ZUJ constitution to call for a congress and without it meeting to call for such, this “congress” you are observing is therefore an unlawful gathering.”
Aspiring ZUJ president, Godwin Mangudya, Frank Chikowore, Conrad Mwanawashe, Isdore Guvamombe, Guthrie Munyuki and Nqobani Ndlovu were unanimous in saying they would be mounting another court challenge.
“It’s a scandal. I did not contest, it is a sham election that is why we and other progressive journalists who have the interests of the union at heart, are challenging the sham event, to reclaim the union from hoodlums masquerading as journalists,” Mwanawashe said.
“We are actually preparing to approach the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) with a complaint that one of their commissioners, Matthew Takaona, is meddling in union business and therefore he is not a fair commissioner.”
Takaona is the outgoing ZUJ president and was appointed to the newly constituted ZMC.
In the December election, Takaona was made a consultant for the union, in a move that astounded other journalists. It was unclear yesterday whether Takaona had been reappointed consultant or not.
Dongozi accused the journalists challenging yesterday’s congress of advancing the agenda of unnamed politicians, NGOs and media employers who want to destroy the union.
“Journalists are being paid by politicians, NGOs and media employers who want to take control of the union in order to destroy it,” Dongozi said.
Reports say the lack of a substantive ZUJ leadership has started to scare away donors, reluctant to fund a union that is not embraced by all journalists.
BY OUR STAFF
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