Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. The government owes Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) around US$400,000 in unpaid advertising and newspaper subscription fees going back more than a year, a debt that has hit one of Zimbabwe’s last remaining private mainstream media groups hard.
AMH, owned by Trevor Ncube, publishes NewsDay, Zimbabwe Independent, The Standard and Southern Eye, and runs the online radio station Heart and Soul (HSTV).
The company has recently come under the spotlight after reports emerged that journalists were paid just US$50 each on Christmas Eve, with many staff going months without full salaries.
While AMH has not publicly commented on the claims, senior officials say the financial strain is largely due to the government’s failure to settle its outstanding bills. An AMH executive said:
“While AMH’s challenges reflect global pressures on legacy media, the government’s failure to honour its advertising and subscription debts poses an existential threat to the country’s last privately owned mainstream media house.
“With government departments owing us about US$400 000, cash flows have been severely constrained.
“The delayed payments to contractors, including media houses, appear to be part of a broader strategy to protect the ZiG from devaluation.”
The Advertising Media Association (ADMA) says the government also owes millions of dollars in local currency to other media companies, including state-owned Zimbabwe Newspapers (Zimpapers), Jester Media Services (publishers of the Daily News), and Askleland Media.
In March, ADMA wrote to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesperson, George Charamba, asking for intervention, but the issue has yet to be resolved.
Executives at AMH believe recent leaks about staff salaries are part of a coordinated effort by some government factions to undermine the company and silence its critical publications. Another executive said:
“There is a deliberate attempt to smear management while ignoring the fact that the government owes us enough money to clear salary arrears.
“The difference between Zimpapers and us is that they receive concessionary loans and direct government support — privileges we do not enjoy.
“On top of that, this has not been an ordinary year, given the arrests of senior journalists and escalating legal costs.”
In February, HSTV senior journalist Blessed Mhlanga was jailed for 72 days without trial after covering a press conference held by former ZANU-PF central committee member and war veteran Blessed Geza.
Five months later, Zimbabwe Independent editor Faith Zaba was arrested and charged alongside AMH, accused of insulting the President.
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