Zim: Daily News to launch in October

10 Sep 2010

The much-awaited Daily News newspaper is finally expected to hit the streets in October after a hold-up caused by problems with its printing press. Managing editor, John Gambanga told Bizcommunity.com: "All I can say is that we're coming out sometime in October after refurbishment of our printing press."

The newspaper has already launched a website, www.dailynews.co.zw, ahead of the launch of the print edition.

A team of eight Swedish engineers and technicians was said to be busy working on the printer to resuscitate printing units that had broken down.

Gagging the media

The Daily News, banned alongside its sister publication, Daily News on Sunday under infamous press laws put in place to gag the private media at the height of political hostilities, was relicensed in May by the Zimbabwe Media Commission together with three other dailies, NewsDay, The Daily Gazette and The Mail.

NewsDay, owned by media entrepreneur Trevor Ncube, immediately launched, and has managed to take a significant share of a news-hungry market that had depended solely on the official newspapers for daily news.

The Mail, fronted an undisclosed consortium funded by an obscure youth fund, is not yet on the streets, while The Daily Gazette, an old title that folded in the late 1990s due to viability problems, has also not announced details of its comeback.

Stance against Mugabe regime

The Daily News was expected to become a market leader as it already had a loyal readership, much of which rallied behind the newspaper for its hostile but often careless stance against President Robert Mugabe's regime, whose popularity has waned significantly due to poor economic policies.

But the newspaper, under Gambanga and editor-in-chief Jethro Goko, would have to contend with the challenge from NewsDay which has made a mark on the market despite an uneasy start.

"NewsDay has definitely had a head start but my view is that once we start publishing, we aim to regain our position as a must-read paper," said Gambanga.

Dumisani Ndlela

About Dumisani Ndlela

Dumisani Ndlela is a Zimbabwean journalist specialising in business and financial reporting, with experience reporting on commodities, stock and financial markets, advertising, marketing and the media. He has previously reported from a number of regional countries as well as from the UK and Germany on commodities and regional integration. He can be contacted on ku.oc.oohay@aleldnd.