The Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Jenfan Muswere has dismissed the state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) board, reported The NewsHawks.
This comes after two television presenters claimed live on air, that Ndebele King Lobengula Khumalo sold the country’s mineral resources to British imperialists for sugar.
The presenters, Farai Juliet Magada and Victoria Manase have reportedly been suspended for saying colonialism was justified to some extent and repeating the falsehood that King Lobengula sold the country to the United Kingdom for sugar.
The NewsHawks reported sources as saying Muswere fired the Dr Josaya Tai-led board over several key performance, oversight and corporate governance issues at ZBC, as well as the tribally divisive remarks by the two female presenters. Said the source:
The minister (Muswere) has dismissed the ZBC board and got the acting ZBC chief (currently standing in for Adelaide Chikunguru away on holiday leave) to suspend those two ignorant presenters who are peddling old tribal myths and lies on national television. Their show was scandalous.
Interestingly, one of the presenters (Magada) is the lady who was entangled in the messy Robson Mhandu sex scandal at ZBC.
A video clip of the presenters has now gone viral with them discussing historical issues about the end of apartheid in South Africa in 1994.
The discussion, which they described as trivia, focuses on South Africa, colonialism and slavery.
During the discussion, the presenters made the remarks that sparked outrage.
The sacked ZBC board, chaired by Tai, included Thomas Bvuma, Tsitsi Dangarembizi, Heliate Rushwaya, Dorothy Mabika, Devnanda Popatla, Reverend Thompson Dube and Brian Mutangandebvu.
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