Poor Salaries, Shattered Newsrooms: Inside Zimbabwean Scribes' Remuneration Crisis

By Dumisani Ndlovu

Harare - When employees at Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) opened their bank accounts on December 24, Christmas Eve, and found just US$50, it was more than a delayed wage but a brutal reminder of a profession in free-fall, a year-end symbol of eroded dignity, missed meals, mounting debt and emotional exhaustion.

The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) warned on what it described as a serious violation of labour rights.

In a strongly worded statement, ZUJ said it was disturbed that the payment was allegedly a partial settlement of salary arrears dating back to January 2025, when AMH employees were last paid in full.

If confirmed, the union said, the development represents a gross breach of basic labour regulations and an affront to the dignity of journalists.

“ZUJ is very disturbed that the payment was said to be partial settlement of salary arrears that have been outstanding since January 2025 when AMH employees were last paid,” ZUJ President, George Maponga said.

He made it clear that if the reports are true, they constitute gross violation of basic labour regulations and cannot be ignored.

“A strong and vibrant media is only possible in our country if journalists are adequately remunerated and we want to call upon employers to prioritise fulfilment of their salary obligations to members of the fourth estate,”he said.

The grim reality facing journalists across Zimbabwe, that of an industry where passion is exploited, truth-telling is sometimes penalized and survival has become the ultimate assignment.

Some journalists who spoke to Kwedu News said what is happening at AMH, and across the sector, is a serious assault on the dignity of journalists.

The AMH incident triggered long-standing concerns about journalist remuneration in Zimbabwe, a crisis spanning both state-owned and private media.

Across the country, reporters, editors, photographers and camera operators work under conditions widely described by media advocates as exploitative.

Chronic salary delays, erratic payments and collapsing real wages, against the backdrop of inflation and currency instability, have pushed many journalists into what one editor described as “the invisible working poor.”

In some newsrooms, journalists earn as little as US$50 a month, barely enough to cover transport and mobile data, let alone rent, healthcare, or school fees.

"Even in Harare and Bulawayo, where most media houses are concentrated, salaries rarely keep pace with the cost of living," one journalist said.

A recent Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Zimbabwe) survey found that more than 60% of journalists are paid irregularly, with some waiting up to six months for full compensation.

But low wages are only part of the problem, volatility is the real killer.

“You might get half a salary one month, nothing the next, then a lump sum eight months later,” said a Bulawayo-based reporter who requested anonymity.

“You’re always in survival mode. Planning your life becomes impossible," he said.

Zimbabwe’s reintroduced currency, the ZiG, has compounded the crisis. Intended as a stabilizing measure, it has already shown signs of rapid devaluation.

“A salary worth US$70 in January can lose half its value by March. By the time you buy groceries, the exchange rate has changed. Your pay evaporates before you can spend it," said a television cameraperson.

Outside major cities, conditions are even harsher. In towns like Gweru, Kwekwe, Zvishavane, Chiredzi and Masvingo, community journalists are often paid per story, at rates that border on humiliation.

Investigations reveal that these journalist are paid anywhere between US$0.50 and $3 per article, the lucky ones are paid $5 per article, but rarely.

“I get 50 cents per article,” said one Midlands-based weekly community newspaper reporter.

"That’s not journalism, it’s piecework for pennies. Even beggars and prostitutes earn more.”

Most of these community newspapers rely on work related learning students who are often not paid.

Some of the journalists cover dangerous beats like illegal mining, land disputes, corruption and service delivery clashes, yet their pay bears no relationship to the risk involved.

Many survive through alternative income streams like vending, teaching, tailoring or small-scale trading.

Others have abandoned journalism altogether. As newsrooms shrink, freelancers have become indispensable, but deeply vulnerable.

Local outlets often offer little or no pay, forcing freelancers to shift focus to pitching stories to international media outlets that pay way better. Even then, work is sporadic and uncertain.

“I only survive because of a contact at an international outlet,” said Tami Moyo, a freelance videographer, adding that “Local media treats us like volunteers. But rent and school fees don’t accept volunteerism.”

Without formal contracts, freelancers shoulder all the risks whether legal, financial or physical.

They lack union protection, legal representation and institutional backing, making them prime targets for harassment and arrest.

Warnings about the dangers of poor remuneration are not new. As early as 2023, media watchdogs cautioned that low wages and delayed salaries were fuelling 'brown envelope journalism', the acceptance of bribes in exchange for killing a story or favourable coverage.

“The least-paid journalist should earn at least US$600 per month,” said seasoned journalist, Perfect Hlongwane, the Chairperson of the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe and also the ZUJ National Secretary-General.

“If journalists are underpaid, professionalism is threatened and corruption becomes tempting," he said.

The warnings became reality in February 2023, when a ZBC journalist and a Central Intelligence Organisation operative were arrested for allegedly extorting US$25,000 from businessman, Pedzisayi “Scott” Sakupwanya.

While the act was widely condemned, many within the industry privately acknowledged the environment that makes such compromises possible.

“When journalists can’t meet basic needs, they become vulnerable to their sources, to power, to temptation,” said one senior editor.

“You can’t expect watchdogs to guard the public interest on empty stomachs," he said.

The consequences are profound. Compromised journalism erodes public trust, credibility declines, audiences disengage and revenue falls, creating a vicious cycle that further impoverishes newsrooms.

Media owners cite collapsing advertising revenue due to economic challenges, rising production costs, foreign currency shortages and Zimbabwe’s broader economic malaise.

Print circulation has plunged, digital monetization remains weak and state advertising is often reserved for pro-government outlets some said.

“We’re trying to keep the lights on,” said a senior private broadcaster executive; “If we don’t pay salaries, we’re blamed but no one asks who pays us,” he said.

Journalist representatives however reject the argument, pointing out that while reporters go for months without pay, executives often continue earning.

“Sacrifice should not be one-sided,” said a MISA Zimbabwe official, “Journalism cannot survive on passion alone.

The wage gap between Zimbabwe and its regional peers is staggering. In Zimbabwe, journalists often earn under US$200 a month, with entry-level salaries sometimes falling below US$100, especially when paid in local currency.

Senior staff at better-funded outlets rarely exceed US$500 monthly.

In South Africa, by contrast, entry-level journalists reportedly earn around R16,000 (US$850–900), while senior reporters at major publications earn between R30,000 and R50,000 (US$1,500–2,500).

The difference is not marginal but a chasm that reshapes careers, ethics and the quality of news reaching the public.

Media advocates are now intensifying calls for the establishment of a National Employment Council (NEC) for journalists, a tripartite body involving government, employers and unions to set minimum wages and regulate working conditions.

Government has acknowledged the crisis. The Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services has previously pledged salary reviews and policy interventions.

Yet for many journalists, the promises are a lip service.

“We don’t need task forces,” said Maponga, “we need enforceable wage standards.”

Despite everything, unpaid salaries, broken equipment, legal threats, and mental fatigue, journalists continue to report.

They do so not because they are paid, but because they believe in the public’s right to know.

“We’re not asking for luxury,” said one state media editor, “we’re asking for dignity, enough to live, enough to sleep without anxiety.”