A Kwayedza journalist traded blows with veteran freelance journalist in the ill-tempered election.
Out of that heavily polarised environment, Taderera beat Sunday Mail Sports Editor Goodwill Zunidza for the post to become the new chairman replacing Wellington Nyoni from the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.
However Zunidza maintains that Taderera did not win the elections, as he has not been an active member of Swaz.
Taderera shot back yesterday saying he would not be removed from office.
“The new committee is not going to listen to cheap politics. There were elections to put in place an executive to regulate journalists, not elections to rule the country,” said Taderera.
“There were 44 sports journalists who gathered in Kwekwe with 50% of the journalists coming from Bulawayo and all of them agreed to have elections.“The representation was balanced so if they think of coming up with a splinter group, let them do so. We are actually looking forward to starting the ball rolling.”
Asked about his Swaz membership, Taderera said he had been a member of Swaz since 1990 — the time he was a full-time sports journalist.
However, Zunidza claimed that a number of journalists were not recognising the election that put Taderera in that post.
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“The profession has been hijacked by people who masquerade as sports journalists. People will come from all sectors of the media claiming to be sports journalists,” Zunidza said.
A number of journalists interviewed by Standardsport said it was high time print and broadcasting journalists parted ways with each industry having its own association.
“Surely, how can we be led by Taderera who has nothing to do with Zimbabwean sport as of now? He had his chance yes, but there is need to give other people who are in the middle of the events a chance to lead themselves,” said one sports journalist.
The new executive has Taderera as the chairman while Dave Simba of SFM is his vice with Lovemore Dube being the secretary general. Phillimon Mhlanga retained his post as the treasurer while Tawanda Karombo, Lee Mangena, Collin Nikisi and Ray Bande were elected representatives for Northern, Southern, Central and Eastern Regions respectively.
According to the Swaz constitution, members of the body should be full-time sports writers. Retired sports journalists are incorporated by the executive as associate members but cannot stand for elections. However the associate members should have practiced for more than 10 years.
