Journalists for Zimbabwe’s state-owned media earn tiny salaries well below the poverty line, a situation that means they can be easily ”manipulated”, it was reported on Wednesday.
Some reporters for the public media are taking home a monthly salary of Zim$6-million ($60), a wage that is far below the poverty line of Zim$41-million, reported the Herald, itself a state-owned daily.
A parliamentary portfolio committee has been investigating the public media and its findings were presented to the House of Assembly on Tuesday, said the paper.
President Robert Mugabe’s nephew Leo, who was chairing the committee, told Parliament that ”most journalists were struggling to make ends meet”, the paper reported.
Zimbabwe’s official media normally stick closely to the official government line.
Unlike reporters from the private press, journalists from the Herald and Chronicle newspapers as well as from state radio and television are virtually never arrested for contravening sections of Zimbabwe’s tough media laws. But occasionally they are greeted with hostility by members of the public.
Leo Mugabe said journalists needed ”to be looked after”, the paper said.
”The committee would like to urge the minister responsible to consider the issue of poor salaries. They [journalists] need to be looked after. Perhaps that is the reason why experienced staff are leaving,” he said.
Another ruling party politician, Walter Mzembi, said some reporters were being tempted by corruption due to poor pay.
”You are exposing journalists to corruption and manipulation if you don’t pay them proper salaries. Let’s attempt to make our journalists better people,” he said. – Sapa-DPA