Misa boss hails Takaona for establishing VMCZ
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MIRROR REPORTER
HARARE – Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) National and Regional Director, Thabani Moyo has hailed veteran journalist Matthew Takaona for initiating and helping in the establishment of the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ).
Speaking at a recent media function on the history of VMCZ, Moyo said Takaona led more than half a dozen media organisations in 2005 to establish VMCZ which is now one of the most successful and stable journalists’ regulatory bodies in Africa with offices in Harare.
VMCZ is a body where the public can bring complaints against unethical media content.
Takaona spearheaded the formation of the VMCZ by writing a letter to the then Minister of Information and Publicity, Tichaona Jokonya presenting the industry’s idea of forming a self-regulatory body and the latter responded positively on November 22, 2005 by endorsing the idea, said Moyo.
“Please be assured that the matter is uppermost on the Ministry’s mind. It is important that the industry speedily brings this matter to finality so that all of us can begin to attend to other matters of industry which face a myriad of problems,” read Minister Jokonya’s letter to Takaona.
But the proposal needed the endorsement of all media stakeholders including the public before VMCZ could be launched.
In 2006, veteran journalist Nyasha Nyakunu and Takaona started a consultative process that saw the two accompanied by a small secretariat holding 200 meetings countrywide where the idea of VMCZ was also endorsed. They met journalists, Parliament, traditional leaders, college and University students, civic society, lawyers and communities and compiled a report, said Moyo.
“I want at this point to pay tribute to president Takaona and our own Nyasha Nyakunu for mobilizing and moderating 200 meetings under the then difficult circumstances which culminated in the launch of VMCZ. Please pay tribute to president Takaona who I see is not in this meeting,” said Moyo.
The media organisations led by Takaona in the process included MISA, Independent Journalists’ Association, Federation of Media Women, Zimbabwe Editors Forum, Media Monitoring Project, Zimbabwe Association of Editors, Zimbabwe Union of Journalists and the Freelance Association of Zimbabwe.