ZiFM presenter exodus opens can of worms

Mismanager...ZiFM station boss Madondo is lost in the woods

By Robert Mukondiwa

Word of an exodus of DJ’s and presenters at the AB Communications owned ZiFM has been coated with sweetness but underneath the comments by the characters leaving the train is an army of disgruntled workers and alleged managerial incompetence.

Not everything is Supa in Mandiwanzira's investment!

Solid personalities including DJ Eskay, Candice Mwakalyelye, Sokostina, Farai Mwakutuya, Zihlo and Kundai Chiyanika, have reportedly already left, tendered their resignations or are just waiting to fade away from the nightmare script that the ZiFM fairytale used to be.

“The truth is there is a monster in ZiFM and the rot is right at the top,” said a mole speaking exclusively about the meltdown.

When probed further about who exactly was behind the problem, as Susan Makore, veteran broadcaster was ultimately at the helm, clarity was offered.

“Mai Makore has no problem and knows what she does as she has a media background. The problem is at the station where the person running affairs is Tendai Madondo who has no idea how to work with creative and has nothing of a background in the media industry and has just been tossed into a position they cannot handle.”

So out of her depth is castaway Tendai Madondo that the source claimed that the lady, much like her surname Madondo, is lost in the woods!

Dancing out of the script....Sokostina has allegedly called it quits

“When you have people who run a radio station like a bank or a post office and can’t handle media creative, that bureaucracy sinks people without a doubt and while it is about six names that have emerged almost everyone in the shadows is living their nightmare at the hands of incompetence,” added the source.

But the personalities fingered in the exodus were quick to offer conciliatory statements when reached for comment.

“I am not leaving immediately and people misconstrued what I said when I made my announcement,” said Farai Mwakutuya, a veteran who has practised in Zimbabwe as well as countries including Uganda.

“I for want of a better word will be travelling a lot in a new engagement that I have gotten and I therefore saw that I could not execute my duties well. I will still be on air for the coming month or so as replacements to my assignments are sought,” he added.

Eskay has apparently gone to join his wife as they could no longer leave apart at an undisclosed country.

Candice Mwakalyelye...'I leave a happy woman'

Candice Mwakalyelye, the ice-princess of the airwaves, whose vanilla being had become the goddess of media celebrity was also quick to go for modesty;

“I have been at the station for four years and there comes a time for one to grow and move on and that is what I am doing,” she said.

“I have no idea if there are any people who are disgruntled and it may look like a coincidence that I have left when others are rumoured to be leaving but I leave the station a happy person who has been grown and built by a station I both love and admire,” she added.

“Politeness!” screams the source. “If the powers that be at ZiFM do not address this issue as soon as possible it will rock the boat and be the death of their numbers for quite a while. They have to nip the problem in the bud. People want this incompetent woman to go or be redeployed otherwise the ship will sink!”

Reached for comment, AB Communications head Ms Makore said; “The best person to talk about the issue is Tendai (Madondo) who runs the day to day activities at the radio station. She is a competent person and obviously more than willing to address such a pertinent issue with the media,” she added.

“We are always happy to respond to media professionals who go out their way to act professionally in their work and write from an informed perspective after having gone all out to seek comment,” she said.

However, Tendai, who has been said to have travelled to South Africa presumably for business could not be reachable and efforts to get her comment via social networking platform Whatsapp hit a snag as she wasn’t available.  

The Supa Mandiwanzira owned station has no doubt hit rock bottom and even started to dig-its worst spell since going on air four years ago. 

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