News / National
Alpha Media hit by bribery scandal
05 May 2013 at 07:00hrs | Views
ALPHA Media Holdings (AMH) parted ways with former reporter Patience Nyangove for allegedly demanding bribes and turning into a state witness against the editor of The Standard, the group's Human Resources Manager, Loud Ramakgapola said yesterday.
AMH are publishers of The Standard, NewsDay and the Zimbabwe Independent.
In an article published on World Press Freedom Day 2013 blog on Thursday, Nyangove said she had been forced to resign despite having been cleared of bribery allegations.
However Ramakgapola said Nyangove's contract had been mutually terminated in light of the allegations of bribery raised by former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe advisor to the Governor, Munyaradzi Kereke.
AMH has a mutual termination of employment agreement signed by Nyangove.
Ramakgapola said Kereke had made an official complaint to AMH that Nyangove demanded a bribe to drop a story she was writing on him. He said Kereke had also accused Nyangove of revealing her sources.
"On 27 May 2011, the editor of The Standard Nevanji Madanhire filed a complaint against Patience on suspicion of breaching journalistic ethics by revealing her source landing the source into serious trouble. The editor also noted there were allegations that she might have been paid to do so. AMH then instituted disciplinary proceedings against Patience Nyangove, in line with the Code of Conduct," Ramakgapola said.
"The story that she alleges she was investigating involving Munyaradzi Kereke was never published as she did not bring the copy to the editors."
On Nyangove's arrest, Ramakgapola said she went against the advice of the company lawyer and gave a statement to the police that the story which was published under her by line had a word added which was not part of her original story.
"She volunteered the information and advised the police that they could access her original story in her Yahoo address through her cell phone. It was at this juncture that she gave the police her cell phone. At that point she was turned into a state witness," Ramakgapola said.
"In light of the above incidents, especially the one related to demanding bribes from Kereke (Munyaradzi) at the end of November 2011 and turning into a state witness against Editor of The Standard, a mutual termination was reached in the interest of both parties."
AMH are publishers of The Standard, NewsDay and the Zimbabwe Independent.
In an article published on World Press Freedom Day 2013 blog on Thursday, Nyangove said she had been forced to resign despite having been cleared of bribery allegations.
However Ramakgapola said Nyangove's contract had been mutually terminated in light of the allegations of bribery raised by former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe advisor to the Governor, Munyaradzi Kereke.
AMH has a mutual termination of employment agreement signed by Nyangove.
"On 27 May 2011, the editor of The Standard Nevanji Madanhire filed a complaint against Patience on suspicion of breaching journalistic ethics by revealing her source landing the source into serious trouble. The editor also noted there were allegations that she might have been paid to do so. AMH then instituted disciplinary proceedings against Patience Nyangove, in line with the Code of Conduct," Ramakgapola said.
"The story that she alleges she was investigating involving Munyaradzi Kereke was never published as she did not bring the copy to the editors."
On Nyangove's arrest, Ramakgapola said she went against the advice of the company lawyer and gave a statement to the police that the story which was published under her by line had a word added which was not part of her original story.
"She volunteered the information and advised the police that they could access her original story in her Yahoo address through her cell phone. It was at this juncture that she gave the police her cell phone. At that point she was turned into a state witness," Ramakgapola said.
"In light of the above incidents, especially the one related to demanding bribes from Kereke (Munyaradzi) at the end of November 2011 and turning into a state witness against Editor of The Standard, a mutual termination was reached in the interest of both parties."
Source - thestandard
