News / National
Jonathan Moyo faces heartache over tainted ZBC board
19 Feb 2014 at 04:53hrs | Views
TWO more members of the newly-formed 11-member board of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) announced by Information, Media and Broadcasting Services minister Jonathan Moyo last week have tainted backgrounds, NewsDay has learnt.
The revelation comes hardly 24 hours after Moyo recalled newly-appointed ZBC board chairman Dennis Magaya after it emerged that the latter was facing serious allegations of charging inflated consultancy fees at Powertel Communications.
Investigations by this paper have revealed that Cleopatra Shingirai-Mutisi and Gelfand Kausiyo have soiled histories that may force the minister to also wield the axe and rescind their appointments.
Shingirai-Mutisi is a murder charge suspect, while Kausiyo was dismissed from South Africa's SABC for plagiarising the public broadcaster's technical report when he was hired as a consultant at KissFM in 2012.
Moyo could not be reached for comment yesterday when NewsDay called his offices to establish if he was aware of latest exposés.
On Monday, Moyo appointed Silveira House director Gibson Munyoro as the new ZBC chair in place of Magaya and co-opted retired diplomat Pritchard Zhou to replace Munyoro.
In a statement accompanying Magaya's expulsion, Moyo said: "This is after the ministry learnt today (Monday) that despite Dr Magaya's previous submissions, backed by a documented record, his consultancy services to Powertel face serious allegations, some of which have been previously raised by some sections of the media."
Shingirai-Mutisi, the wife of Brigadier General Francis Mutisi, faces charges of directing two soldiers to beat up her 13-year-old nephew whom she had accused of stealing $70 from her.
The nephew, Tafara Matanhire, later died of brain haemorrhage leading to the murder charges.
She was recently granted temporary reprieve, following the State's failure to furnish her with a trial date.
Harare magistrate Don Ndirowei in November last year removed the three from remand, after ruling that the State was "unreasonably delaying in furnishing" them with a trial date.
On the other hand, Kausiyo was in the news in December 2011 when he presented a plagiarised SABC technical report during a failed KissFM application for a national radio licence.
KissFM, led by public relations expert Sharon Mugabe and including prominent personalities like musician Oliver Mtukudzi, broadcasters George Munetsi and Musi Khumalo and banker Douglas Munatsi, came out a distant third in the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe public hearings from the four shortlisted applicants including StarFM,
ZiFM and Voxmedia Productions's VOP FM.
Kausiyo was later fired from SABC for the offence following his suspension and subsequent hearing.
The new ZBC board replaced the Cuthbert Dube-led board which was fired last year for failing to provide a turnaround strategy for the beleaguered broadcaster whose suspended CEO Happison Muchechetere was earning a $40 000 monthly salary, while workers went unpaid for months.
The revelation comes hardly 24 hours after Moyo recalled newly-appointed ZBC board chairman Dennis Magaya after it emerged that the latter was facing serious allegations of charging inflated consultancy fees at Powertel Communications.
Investigations by this paper have revealed that Cleopatra Shingirai-Mutisi and Gelfand Kausiyo have soiled histories that may force the minister to also wield the axe and rescind their appointments.
Shingirai-Mutisi is a murder charge suspect, while Kausiyo was dismissed from South Africa's SABC for plagiarising the public broadcaster's technical report when he was hired as a consultant at KissFM in 2012.
Moyo could not be reached for comment yesterday when NewsDay called his offices to establish if he was aware of latest exposés.
On Monday, Moyo appointed Silveira House director Gibson Munyoro as the new ZBC chair in place of Magaya and co-opted retired diplomat Pritchard Zhou to replace Munyoro.
In a statement accompanying Magaya's expulsion, Moyo said: "This is after the ministry learnt today (Monday) that despite Dr Magaya's previous submissions, backed by a documented record, his consultancy services to Powertel face serious allegations, some of which have been previously raised by some sections of the media."
Shingirai-Mutisi, the wife of Brigadier General Francis Mutisi, faces charges of directing two soldiers to beat up her 13-year-old nephew whom she had accused of stealing $70 from her.
The nephew, Tafara Matanhire, later died of brain haemorrhage leading to the murder charges.
She was recently granted temporary reprieve, following the State's failure to furnish her with a trial date.
Harare magistrate Don Ndirowei in November last year removed the three from remand, after ruling that the State was "unreasonably delaying in furnishing" them with a trial date.
On the other hand, Kausiyo was in the news in December 2011 when he presented a plagiarised SABC technical report during a failed KissFM application for a national radio licence.
KissFM, led by public relations expert Sharon Mugabe and including prominent personalities like musician Oliver Mtukudzi, broadcasters George Munetsi and Musi Khumalo and banker Douglas Munatsi, came out a distant third in the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe public hearings from the four shortlisted applicants including StarFM,
ZiFM and Voxmedia Productions's VOP FM.
Kausiyo was later fired from SABC for the offence following his suspension and subsequent hearing.
The new ZBC board replaced the Cuthbert Dube-led board which was fired last year for failing to provide a turnaround strategy for the beleaguered broadcaster whose suspended CEO Happison Muchechetere was earning a $40 000 monthly salary, while workers went unpaid for months.
Source - newsday
