ZBC Coup Attempt: Muswere’s Seizure of State Media Thwarted?

Harare - A deep-seated power struggle within Zimbabwe’s state media apparatus has come to light following the suspension of Zimpapers Group Chief Executive Editor, Elias Mambo, and the abrupt reassignment of former Information Minister Jenfan Muswere, with internal sources detailing a campaign of alleged misinformation and a clash over the control of national broadcasting resources.

The conflict, which high-level sources say triggered Minister Muswere’s move to the Ministry of Skills Audit and Development on February 9, centered on the editorial and financial independence of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC).

This follows an attempt by Muswere on February 2 to terminate the ZBC Board via a five-page letter citing corporate misgovernance, an action later nullified by the Information Ministry and referred to the Attorney General’s Office for legal review.

Internal communications say the primary fracture allegedly occurred when the ZBC Board "vowed not to engage a foreign unknown source, handpicked by Muswere, to supply content at the expense of local Zimbabwean content creators."

Sources also allege that Muswere was "furious" after the national broadcaster chose to air businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei’s "Celestial New Year Cross Over," a program that the sources say has been a broadcast staple for five years.

Instead, the former Minister allegedly pressured the station to prioritize the broadcast of political rallies for his associate, Tempter Paul Tungwarara.

"Muswere wanted Tungwarara’s rallies broadcasted," one source stated, noting that the broadcaster is in possession of a "US$30,000 receipt paid by Tagwirei’s company to the national broadcaster" for the New Year's slot.

The tension reportedly escalated into the political arena, where Minister Muswere allegedly clashed with ZANU-PF Spokesperson, Chris Mutsvangwa, after the Minister took it upon himself to announce internal party election results regarding Tungwarara’s co-option to the Central Committee.

When challenged, Muswere reportedly "justified his actions by saying 'I'm Information Minister,' yet this was a party election."

Internal whistleblowers further claim that recent reports of a US$52 million scandal at ZBC were a calculated distortion.

"The $52 million referred to by Muswere is in ZiG, not USD as he purports," a source familiar with the finances clarified.

The fallout has now reached Zimpapers, where the Board, chaired by one Doreen Sibanda, served Group Chief Executive Editor, Mambo, with a suspension letter on February 26, effective March 1, pending the completion of investigations.

Mambo, who served as Muswere’s Personal Assistant at the ICT Ministry before being headhunted to Zimpapers, is alleged to have played a role in supplying the information that informed The Zimbabwe Independent’s story.

Further allegations suggest that Mambo may have pressured editors within the Zimpapers stable not to publish Faith Zaba’s apology letter.

Additionally, sources say investigations at Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) suggest that a senior editorial member might have used Freedom Makopa's byline without his consent to publish the story received from Mambo.

The fallout also reportedly intensified on the day of Muswere’s transfer. The sources allege that the Minister "summoned the ZBC executive with the intention to change account signatories to put his cronies in an effort to siphon money from ZBC."

They further claim that the current ZBC Chief Executive Officer, Sugar Chagonda, was "next on the firing line for failing to toe the Minister’s instructions like the ZBC Board."

The sources say questions have arisen amongst administration regarding the timing of Muswere’s attempt to remove the ZBC Board.

"Why did he rush to remove the board when an audit was only a month away?" One source asked.

This has led to broader concerns within the government about the leaking of sensitive information to the media by insiders through "inducements."

The pattern of leadership interference reportedly mirrors past actions. Another source claims Muswere also "caused the arrest of former NetOne boss, Lazarus Muchenje and his executive in 2019-2023" when he was Information and Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Minister.

"He did the same with Pikirai Deketeke at Zimpapers in order to put his crony Elias Mambo, who was his Personal Assistant," the source further alleged.

Mambo’s rise at Zimpapers reportedly coincided with the termination of Deketeke, and he remained in his executive editorial role after efforts to elevate him to CEO were blocked by the Board.