Two editors sacked in purge

The Zimbabwean government sacked the editors of the two largest state-controlled newspapers, the ‘Herald and the ‘Sunday Mail’, IOL news website reported on Thursday. Ray Mungosi, editor of the ‘Herald’ daily newspaper, and Funny Mushava, editor of the ‘Sunday Mail’, were negotiating exit packages after being forced out of their jobs on Wednesday, the report said. The editors’ dismissals follow a similar sacking 10 days ago of Tommy Sithole, chairperson of Zimbabwe Newspapers which publishes the two titles and four others. Sithole had refused to implement a government directive to fire editors perceived not to have been toeing the government line, according to the report. Sithole particularly refused to implement the directive by Information Minister Jonathan Moyo to remove Mungoshi and Mushava from the two key titles and to reshuffle others in a bid to improve the Zimbabwe government’s battered image, the report added. Mungoshi and Mushava were appointed eight months ago to succeed two of their predecessors who were also fired for not toeing the government line. The ‘Herald’ reported that Zimbabwe Newspapers appointed Piki-rayi Deketeke as editor of the ‘Herald’ and William Chikoto as ‘Sunday Mail’ with immediate effect. Deketeke (35), who was Deputy Editor of The Herald before his new appointment, joined the Zimbabwe Newspapers Group in 1987 as a cadet reporter with ‘Sunday Mail’ while Chikoto (35) also joined ‘Sunday Mail’ as a cadet reporter in 1987, rising to the positions of night editor and managing editor, the newspaper said.