A TOP journalist who runs a community newspaper in Midlands has been accused of mounting a spirited campaign to have a former colleague in the industry fired from her new job as Gweru City Council’s communications and public relations officer.
The scribe, according to those close to the situation, has a bone to pick with Vimbai Chingaramusee whom he accuses of denying his publication some adverts, thereby starving his paper of much-needed revenue.
So intense is the said campaign by the scribe that he is also reportedly canvassing for support from other journalists and media houses in the area to ensure Chingwaramusee is shown the exit door.
He has also reportedly begun lobbying senior officials at Town House including the mayor, Josiah Makombe.
Chingwaramusee joined the council in September last year from AB Communications’ Midlands radio station, 98.4 FM, where she worked as a news and current affairs anchor and also as a bulletins editor.
Journalists that have reportedly been approached by the scribe said he is canvassing for them to join in the campaign to take down Chingwaramusee.
“He told us that Vimbai is a member of the CIO who was deployed to investigate council management,” said one journalist.
Other journalists from Gweru said the senior scribe is lamenting the appointment of Chingwaramusee into the job, something that has robbed the paper of revenue through non allocation of adverts from the city council.
“He told us that he has already approached the mayor and lobbied him to fire Vimbai. His major gripe is that his newspaper is not getting enough revenue from the city council,” said another journalist.
The scribe reportedly told the journalists that Chingwaramusee was working with direct orders from local government minister July Moyo.
He has also reportedly taken his campaign to social media groups.
On one group comprising residents, the journalist posted that she was “dumb”.
Chingwaramusee refused to comment. saying she did not want to be caught up in rumour mongering.
