Harare(ZimEye)-The Mail Newspaper which started publishing five months ago has shut down owing to logistical challenges.
Highly placed sources at the troubled publication told ZimEye that the paper failed to secure new printers after terminating a contract with Alpha Media Holding owned Strand printers which has been printing the paper since its launch early this year.
The country’s fourth daily paper stopped printing two weeks ago on Tuesday, ordered its employees to go home and come back in September after it had sorted out its logistical problems.
The management told the workers that it had signed a new deal with Zimbabwe Newspapers Group which would have seen the Herald printing its copies.
One of the journalist with the paper said Executive Editor, Barnabas Thondhlana told them that Herald was demanding US$180 000 upfront before the paper is printed.
“We have been directed to go for a two week paid leave and report for work 01 September 1 when it is hoped that the paper would have secured the required funds,” said the journalist.
The suspected John Brednkamp, Billy Rautenbach, Nicolas Van Hoogstraten, Obert Mpofu and indigenization and economic empowerment counterpart, Saviour Kasukuwere owned publication is also believed to be in the direct control of the d
readed Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).
Reporters at the publication have been complaining about interference by senior ZANU (PF) officials who dictate how some political stories could be written and treated.
They (journalists) also accused the paper’s managing director, Hensley Chamboko of mismanagement and interfering with ZANU(PF) related stories.
“We do not trust this Chamboko guy, as he is being used as a CIO front. We are afraid that this might be the end of our employment because we suspect the paper is closing down for good like what happened to the now defunct Mirror newspaper which faced viability problems after being taken over by the Central Intelligence Organisation,” said another worker.
Efforts to get a comment from Chamboko were fruitless as his mobile phone was off.
3 Replies to “New newspaper shuts down”
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Everyone who is not Zanu Pf and holds an independent opinion is a traitor and enermy of the regime.All vocal political and human rights activists run that risk of being called several names of hate speech and are brave to carry on.CIO officers are not as many as potrayed, but there are symphathisers, informers and loyalists as well.
ZANU is there why do you want to deny, nxa!
What makes everything, everyone not opposed to Zanu Pf a CIO controlled? Has it ever occured to you to try and figure out how many officers does the CIO have because they seem to be almost everywhere?