MPs finger Herald political editor over sexual abuse

MPs finger Herald political editor over sexual abuse

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By Lebo Nkatazo

THE Herald's political editor is on knife edge after an internal enquiry into a sexual harassment allegation resulted in him being given a final warning, it has been revealed.

The Herald also actively advised Caesar Zvayi's accuser, reporter Thelma Chikwanha, to report him to the police.

The revelations are contained in a report by a parliamentary committee on transport and communications which looked at the state of Zimbabwe's public media.

The committee, headed by President Robert Mugabe's nephew, Leo Mugabe, received several accounts of sexual harassment and nepotism both at Zimpapers and state television and radio.

However, the MPs said they failed to gather enough evidence to press for police investigations.

The committee said in its report: "Cases of sexual harassment and nepotism were highlighted in parts but evidence gathered was not substantive enough to warrant further investigations."

On the alleged sexual harassment of Chikwanha by Zvayi, the the committee said Herald editor Pikirayi Deketeke told MPs that “they had advised Thelma that she should report the case to the police and thus the law enforcement agents handled the case. Administratively, Mr Zvayi was given a final warning but it was not published in the press."

The revelations will further embarrass the Herald bosses who recently had to deal with a spate of criminal prosecutions of Zimpapers journalists.

No comment was immediately available from the Herald Friday.

The committee, dominated by MPs from Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu PF party, also urged a government crack down on foreign radio stations beaming into Zimbabwe.

It said the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) should come up with ways to deal with the stations that include the Voice of America’s Studio 7 and SW Radio Africa which broadcasts on Medium Wave from London.

The committee said: “BAZ needs new monitoring transmitters as the current ones are obsolete. BAZ must come up with a strategy to combat the pirate stations, which are deliberately over spilling into Zimbabwe."
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