Windhoek
Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Namibia Rofina Chikava has implored NamZim Publications to publish more stories focusing on business and investment opportunities for would-be investors in the region.
She was speaking at the inauguration of the new NamZim office complex in Windhoek West, which also marked the eleventh anniversary of the Southern Times.
NamZim is a joint venture between the governments of Zimbabwe and Namibia and publishers of the Southern Times newspaper and Inside Africa Business magazine.
Chikava expounded on how the Southern Times has effectively brought political and developmental stories to its readers in SADC region. “The Southern Times has put up bankable analysis to the masses of the region in terms of political development, cultural and economic issues. These analyses have given the people of SADC an opportunity on what we want our region to focus on as we aim for industrialisation and regional integration,” said Chikava.
The paper and magazine are distributed in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, Mozambique and Namibia. The Namibian Minister of Information Communication Technology (ICT), Tjikero Tweya, said global media’s coverage on Africa has persistently focussed on wars, disease, corruption, hunger, crime and failed economies, perceptions that NamZim Publications has countered.
He said although the joint venture started with Namibia and Zimbabwe, talks have been ongoing to invite other countries in the Southern African Development Community to join the joint venture project.
“The journey started 11 years ago following a joint venture between Zimbabwe and New Era Publication Corporation through a bilateral agreement between the ministries of media and information of Zimbabwe and Namibia.”
He said NamZim experienced various challenges, especially office space, as 14 employees had to share a small office offered by New Era Publication Corporation.
“Despite this, NamZim persevered and weathered the storms to remain standing until today,” he said.
“NamZim and ultimately the Southern Times are not propaganda tools! The newspaper continues to fulfil the mandate for which it was formed and has filled in the gaps which the dominant international media and other media in our own countries have always tended to ignore.”
“The Government of the Republic of Namibia views the importance of this project now and in many years to come as a powerful vindication of its support to this worthy project,” Tweya added.
The deputy chairperson of NamZim Board of Directors, Delma Lupepe, said there is a new war in liberating the minds of the people in Africa, as Zimbabwe and Namibia still stand shoulder to shoulder in this fight. He said western media report and give the wrong impression about this continent.
“We will no longer stand by and watch while they give more importance to the lion Cecil than the lives of African people. No longer will we stand by and let them tell a misconception about the lives of the people of Africa,” said Lupepe.
He said NamZim is mandated to tell the Namibian story, the Zimbabwean story, the southern Africa story and the African story from an African perspective.
“This is a story of unity, oneness and people working for the development of each other and the upliftment of their lives,” he stated.
NamZim chairperson of the Board of Directors Tara Shaanika thanked the government for availing the resources to acquire the headquaters for NamZim.
“Our products are now on the shelves of many countries in the region and we truly want to become a channel of news and stories for the SADC region,” he said.