News / National
AMH CEO steps down
2 hrs ago |
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Zimbabwe's largest independent media group, Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) - publisher of NewsDay, Zimbabwe Independent, The Standard, and online platform Heart & Soul - has announced major management changes amid an existential crisis triggered by digital disruption, financial instability, and internal controversies.
Kenias Mafukidze, who served as chief executive officer, has stepped down following widespread criticism of mismanagement, with chief technology officer Takura Mapfumo appointed as general manager. The move effectively abolishes the CEO role in a symbolic cost-cutting measure as the company seeks to stabilize operations after decades as an influential independent media voice in Zimbabwe.
AMH, co-owned by publisher Trevor Ncube and President Emmerson Mnangagwa's son-in-law Gerald Mlotshwa, has faced accusations of compromising editorial independence amid perceived proximity to government power. Critics argue that Ncube's collaboration with the Mnangagwa administration undermined the company's legacy of media freedom.
The shake-up follows a high-profile editorial controversy in which Zimbabwe Independent published a report claiming US$52 million in licence-fee revenue at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation was unaccounted for. The story was later retracted, with a formal apology issued to the Ministry of Information, its minister, the permanent secretary, and President Mnangagwa. AMH has launched an internal investigation into the incident.
Ncube acknowledged the structural pressures facing the business, noting the transformative impact of digital disruption and artificial intelligence on journalism. He said that as Chairman of Alpha Media Holdings, he had witnessed the collapse of classified advertising, the migration of readers to free online platforms, the haemorrhaging of circulation, and the agonising reinvention that follows when an entire business model is rendered obsolete.
AMH, like many traditional media companies, has struggled to pay staff for months. Unlike smaller media entities, however, AMH once had a robust, sustainable business model and was a major force in Zimbabwe's media landscape, providing hundreds of jobs and building journalism careers.
Observers point to a series of challenges contributing to the company's decline, including the 2014 appointment of Rita Chinyoka as chief executive, a failed digital transition project, and alleged deliberate government co-option when Ncube joined the Presidential Advisory Council. The collapse of print advertising during the Covid-19 pandemic further accelerated the crisis.
Once a trailblazer in both business and journalism, AMH now faces a precarious future, described by some as "gasping for breath" in a media environment reshaped by technology and political pressures. The leadership changes and internal review represent the latest efforts to salvage the company's operations, rebuild credibility, and navigate an increasingly complex and hostile media ecosystem in Zimbabwe.
Kenias Mafukidze, who served as chief executive officer, has stepped down following widespread criticism of mismanagement, with chief technology officer Takura Mapfumo appointed as general manager. The move effectively abolishes the CEO role in a symbolic cost-cutting measure as the company seeks to stabilize operations after decades as an influential independent media voice in Zimbabwe.
AMH, co-owned by publisher Trevor Ncube and President Emmerson Mnangagwa's son-in-law Gerald Mlotshwa, has faced accusations of compromising editorial independence amid perceived proximity to government power. Critics argue that Ncube's collaboration with the Mnangagwa administration undermined the company's legacy of media freedom.
The shake-up follows a high-profile editorial controversy in which Zimbabwe Independent published a report claiming US$52 million in licence-fee revenue at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation was unaccounted for. The story was later retracted, with a formal apology issued to the Ministry of Information, its minister, the permanent secretary, and President Mnangagwa. AMH has launched an internal investigation into the incident.
Ncube acknowledged the structural pressures facing the business, noting the transformative impact of digital disruption and artificial intelligence on journalism. He said that as Chairman of Alpha Media Holdings, he had witnessed the collapse of classified advertising, the migration of readers to free online platforms, the haemorrhaging of circulation, and the agonising reinvention that follows when an entire business model is rendered obsolete.
AMH, like many traditional media companies, has struggled to pay staff for months. Unlike smaller media entities, however, AMH once had a robust, sustainable business model and was a major force in Zimbabwe's media landscape, providing hundreds of jobs and building journalism careers.
Observers point to a series of challenges contributing to the company's decline, including the 2014 appointment of Rita Chinyoka as chief executive, a failed digital transition project, and alleged deliberate government co-option when Ncube joined the Presidential Advisory Council. The collapse of print advertising during the Covid-19 pandemic further accelerated the crisis.
Once a trailblazer in both business and journalism, AMH now faces a precarious future, described by some as "gasping for breath" in a media environment reshaped by technology and political pressures. The leadership changes and internal review represent the latest efforts to salvage the company's operations, rebuild credibility, and navigate an increasingly complex and hostile media ecosystem in Zimbabwe.
Source - online
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