Fresh from prison, award-winning journalist Hopewell Chin’ono says Zimbabwe seriously needs investigative journalists, as the the country is saddled by rampant corruption, which need to be exposed.
Speaking at the launch of new independent media platform, NewsHawksLive, recently, Chin’ono said investigative journalists are the real eyes of the society.
“Zimbabwe desperately needs investigative journalism. Public hospitals are dilapidated and under-funded.
“Hospitals need only US$50m per year. But the Draxgate scandal would have seen the looting of US$60m. Corruption must be stopped,” he said.
He added that the collapse of parastatals is evidence of corruption, incompetence and mismanagement, adding that Air Zimbabwe, for instance, has been reduced to a shell.
He said it is disheartening that Zimbabwe finds itself at a critical moment when public coffers are being looted, left, right and centre.
Meanwhile, Chin’ono is out of jail on bail, after being arrested for allegedly trying to incite the public to demonstrate against the government.
However, some analysts believe Chin’ono was arrested for exposing corruption involving members of the first family.
Apparently, speaking at the same launch, Norton Independent Member of Parliament, Themba Mliswa, called on the new media platform to return to basics, saying corruption has also found its way into the 4th estate.
“My challenge to them is for the 4th estate to go back to basics and be ethical.
“The prevalence of brown envelope pushing in the sector has made people lose confidence in especially print media,” he said.
Speaking at the same event, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Media, Prince Dubeko Sibanda, said the committee is concerned with government’s failure to make the public media compliant with constitutional stipulations.
