Zim GBC News | Harare Correspondent
Harare – Alpha Media Holdings (AMH), one of Zimbabwe’s last major privately-owned media groups, is facing an existential crisis due to a US$400,000 debt owed by the government for unpaid advertising and subscription fees, senior company executives have revealed.
The debt, outstanding for over a year, has severely strained AMH’s cash flow, contributing to severe staff salary delays. The company publishes NewsDay, The Zimbabwe Independent, The Standard, and Southern Eye, and operates the web-based radio station Heart and Soul TV (HSTV).
“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,” a senior AMH executive told Zim GBC News in confidence.
The executive stated that the government’s delayed payments to contractors, including media houses, appear to be part of a broader fiscal strategy.
“With government departments owing us about US$400,000, cash flows have been severely constrained. The delayed payments… appear to be part of a broader strategy to protect the ZiG from devaluation.”
The financial strain erupted publicly amid reports that AMH journalists received only US$50 each on Christmas Eve after months of incomplete salaries. Management believes this leakage is politically motivated.
“There is a deliberate attempt to smear management while ignoring the fact that the government owes us enough money to clear salary arrears,” another AMH executive said.
“The difference between us and Zimpapers [the state-owned media group] is that they receive concessionary loans and direct government support — privileges we do not enjoy.”
The company’s troubles are compounded by what it describes as a hostile legal environment. In February, HSTV senior journalist Blessed Mhlanga was jailed for 72 days without trial after covering a press conference by a government critic. He and HSTV still face charges of “transmitting data messages that incite violence.”
Five months later, Zimbabwe Independent editor Faith Zaba and AMH were arrested and charged for allegedly insulting the President over a satirical column. Their trial is pending.
“On top of that, this has not been an ordinary year, given the arrests of senior journalists and escalating legal costs,” the executive added.
The Advertising Media Association (ADMA) confirms the government owes millions to several media companies. In March, ADMA wrote to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesperson, George Charamba, seeking intervention, but the matter remains unresolved.
The situation highlights the intense financial and political pressures facing independent journalism in Zimbabwe as a critical election year approaches.
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