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Stephen Mpofu 

This communicologist trained as a journalist and creative writer, along with students from other African countries, at the then Africa Literature Centre in the then Northern Rhodesia, today Zambia, in 1963 and then worked abroad rising from junior to senior reporter and then to newspaper editor before returning home to an independent Zimbabwe in 1981 to continue working as a senior journalist and finally as a newspaper editor before retiring in 2001.

The above background is not meant to be a brag but, rather, an authentication of what follows immediately below.

In the past few days local radio has been abuzz with reports of sexual harassment for the girl child in newsrooms with another report pointing to a lack of knowledge in the use of modern technological devices for the girl child to successfully pursue her career.

In the first instance, sexual molestation in newsrooms by male chauvinists is as long a story as the visibility of the black child in the newsroom when Africans took over the communication reigns on gaining independence and freedom from racist colonialists who regarded both male and female journalist as minions in the news and communication industry.

To begin with journalism was generally regarded as a dangerous trade, particularly for women who were and continue to be viewed as vulnerable to violence by angry demonstrators and/or strikers so that only the boy child was and is in some cases still being viewed as being more suitable to stand his ground and flight his trade in all circumstances.

For that reason fewer women than men today continue to venture into journalism and to be vulnerable to male gallivanters who predominantly run things in newsrooms.

Incidentally the bible story to the effect that God created and gave a woman as a helper to men is misconstrued by some men in both junior and very senior newsroom positions as that a woman was also created to satiate gallivanters’ sexual interest, hence the reports the public hears of sexual harassment of the girl child in newsrooms.

In the view of this humble writer more women in newsrooms with support and protection by a strong journalism trade union is needed YESTERDAY to act as a buffer against sexual molestation of the girl child in newsroom.

Equally imperative is a need for legal protection in newsrooms to scare away gallivanters who view women working with, or to, them as mince-meat at their easy disposal.

Equally important, companies or organisations running communication media, namely newspapers, radio and television must be known to read the riot act to bosses that use female subordinates to satiate their gallivanting interests.

The protective measures suggested above will no doubt make the girl child play an equally pivotal role in promoting the interests in promoting and cementing the armed revolution that brought freedom and independence to Zimbabweans of both female and male genders.

Moreover, the girl child played an equal role with the boy child in the armed struggle with both sides recording life losses as the struggle continued so that it is only logical that men and women should also enjoy their presents at participation in disseminating news about the dos and don’ts in order for our nation to develop and grow in accordance with the philosophy “nyika inobakwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabaninilo/a country is built by its owners” as the President Cde ED Mnangagwa has repeatedly exhorted our nation. The above discourse will remain incomplete if not also backed up with the business community and other organisations donating modern technological devices such as laptops to women also plying their trade in news dissemination in media other than newspapers.

The First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa has set a wonderful empowerment example for women with her cook-outs and other progressive programs across the country.

A brave new future for this great nation of ours can only become tangible rather than intangible if all Zimbabweans individually and collectively put our hands to the developmental wheel so that no farrows are left behind for the devil to grow grass instead of us developing the only country God gave us for brave new futures for generations to come sine die.