Bribery scandal hits media

Munyaradzi  Kereke, the adviser to Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon Gono, has caused a stir at Alpha Media Holdings by accusing two journalists at the stable of soliciting bribes from him.

He also claims one of them gained entry to his house under false pretences. Kereke said at least two journalists from the Standard separately demanded bribes in order to kill stories about him.

Two weeks ago Kereke also filed charges of criminal defamation and theft against Standard editor Nevanji Madanhire and reporter Nqaba Matshazi.

The bribery claims are contained in several letters seen by the Sunday Times. Kereke does not name the journalists, but says he will expose them when asked by the proprietors of the newspaper.

Kereke admits paying the journalists various sums of money, at one time to cover rent for one of them.

Kereke, a banker turned commercial farmer and businessman, has sponsored various journalistic awards.

He has spent the past two weeks writing open and private letters to media stakeholders and newspapers, and asked Alpha Media management for a meeting to discuss the problem.

He has appealed to the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe, the Media Institute of Southern Africa Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists and media trainers for assistance.

Alpha Media Holdings is owned by media mogul Trevor Ncube, the publisher of the Mail & Guardian of South Africa. Ncube was in Harare following the arrest of Madanhire and Matshazi, which the media group viewed as an onslaught on its operations by the political elite.

Alpha Media publishes two weeklies, the Sunday Standard newspaper and The Independent, which hits the streets on Fridays, and a daily, Newsday.

Ncube is understood to have asked his management to deal swiftly with the allegations raised by Kereke.

The accusation comes hard on the heels of the suspension of Newsday political editor Kelvin Jakachira over allegations of corruption involving Kereke. Jakachira acquired a car linked to one of Kereke's medical companies.

Madanhire and Matshazi were granted $100 bail each by Harare magistrate Sandra Mupindu on November 16. Their case was postponed to December 20.

Kereke said in his letter he was disturbed that Raphael Khumalo, the chief executive officer of Alpha Media Holdings, rebuffed several requests for meetings to discuss bribery.

"I wanted to get the opportunity to bring to your attention that another journalist under Mr Nevanji Madanhire illegally entered my residential house while I was at work after misrepresenting to my security and domestic maids that he was my relative."

He claims the unnamed journalist went as far as "my bedroom, ostensibly looking for news".

"The sad thing is that this journalist also demanded payment from me and I have evidence and witnesses to that effect." Kereke took out advertisements in the media denying that he bought a vehicle for Jakachira.

He has produced photocopies showing that Jakachira bought the vehicle from his company in an open tender. The suspended journalist is understood to be considering legal action against Alpha Media

Meanwhile, two Standard journalists suspected to have solicited for bribes from Kereke appeared briefly at a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday, as the Kerekegate scandal threatens to tear the independent media apart.