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The best student print media reporter award winner, Oswell Moyo (left), the Editor of the Chronicle Mduduzi Mathuthu and Factmore Dzobo overall winner of the awards and best print media reporter at the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe awards ceremony held in Harare last Friday night

Chronicle Reporter
Chronicle dominated at the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe annual media awards with the publication named the 2014 best print media house while its reporters scooped several awards.

Mduduzi Mathuthu, the Editor of Chronicle, received the award on behalf of the publication from the sponsor Total Zimbabwe’s sustainable development manager Godwin Musora who said the publication was nominated because of its constant reportage associated with enforcement of traffic laws.

Senior reporter Factmore Dzobo scooped a double when he walked away with the best print media reporter of the year and minister’s overall road safety reporter of the year awards.

He walked away with $2,000, a trophy, a medal and a voucher from the Rainbow Tourism Group (RTG) for two nights.

Chronicle chief photographer Eliah Saushoma landed the second runner up position in the best photojournalist award with $500, a trophy and a medal, while Dennis Mudzamiri, from our sister paper Sunday News, came first in the category and won himself $1,000, a trophy and a medal.

National University of Science and Technology (Nust) intern at Chronicle Oswell Moyo scooped the managing director’s road safety student reporter of the year award, walking away with $1,000, a trophy and a medal.

Chronicle correspondent Nqobile Tshili emerged second runner up in the managing director’s road safety student reporter of the year and pocketed $500, a trophy and a medal.

The prizes were sponsored by Econet Wireless, CBZ Holdings, Credsure, Delta Beverages, Croco Motors, National Social Security Authority (NSSA) and Blackwood Hodge Zimbabwe.

In a speech read on his behalf by Kriston Chirairo, Econet chief executive officer Douglas Mboweni said road carnage affected the economy as it diverted funding meant for development.

“Road traffic jungles cost countries between one percent to two percent of their gross national product. In low and middle income countries, the cost of road traffic injuries is estimated at up to one hundred billion dollars a year, money that could be spent on schools, hospitals and economic development,” said Mboweni.

He said although there was a slight decrease in the number of deaths recorded in the country compared to last year, the figure was still high.

Mboweni said high income nations like Sweden, which has a vehicle population of about 13 million, records less than 400 deaths annually from accidents yet Zimbabwe, with a vehicle population of about one million, records almost 2,000 deaths every year.