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ADVERSE: Twitter fury after Thusi, Mbele, Maake KaNcube attend Zanu-PF rally…
By Keitumetse Maako
Media personalities Pearl Thusi, Sonia Mbele and Sello Maake kaNcube have come under fire on social media for participating in a tour of neighbouring Zimbabwe in the lead-up to the country’s national elections later this month.
The country heads to the polling stations on 23 August to elect a new president and members of both houses of Parliament.
Leading Zimbabwean news outlet, The News Hawks, shared the news on social media. According to the outlet, the trip was “a massive frenetic public relations image-building tour” by the country’s ruling party Zanu-PF and President Emmerson Mnangagwa to “revamp its battered reputation” ahead of the elections.
“As a result of this, millions of Zimbabweans have fled to some of the countries where the journalists are coming from, especially Botswana and South Africa, running away from brutal political repression, economic collapse and human rights abuses,” the publication wrote. “Mnangagwa’s government, an authoritarian continuation of the late former president Robert Mugabe’s repressive regime, has a disastrous human rights and economic management record.”
Announcing the ‘True Zimbabwe Tour’ on social media, the country’s permanent secretary for the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Nick Mangwana, said the local celebrities and journalists arrived earlier this week.
“They have been brought in by @InfoMinZW, working together with the media company MPC,” he wrote. The contingent comprises celebs and journalists from Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini, Tanzania and South Africa.
“They are here to experience the hospitality of our people and to see for themselves the great work done by the second republic in the last five years,” he continued.
The tour wraps up tomorrow, with the guests expected to visit successful farming projects, the African Chrome Fields mining operations, the new wing of the Robert Mugabe International Airport and more.
The criticism of the local celebs stems from both their involvement in the tour and their outspokenness on various matters in the past.
Thusi has publicly criticised the Zimbabwean government’s treatment of its citizens. Maake kaNcube, on the other hand, has been vocal about his feelings about South Africa’s ruling party, the ANC, and how he believed its government had let down South Africans; while Mbele openly criticised the government over load shedding.
In response to Twitter fury over the personalities’ trip, Maake kaNcube said: “Anybody’s opinion of me is not my reality. As much as I’m a public figure, I have a right of freedom of association.”
He added that Zimbabwe was a country owned by its citizens.
Spokesperson for Sonia Mbele Films, Thato Malindi, said Mbele was in the neighbouring country to represent the company after being invited by Zimbabwe’s “elite business moguls to discuss rebuilding the country’s entertainment industry” as she had reportedly been “tipped to spearhead” its “entertainment evolution”.
“As Sonia Mbele Films, we would like to make it clear that our CEO is an intercontinental and international producer who takes her craft very seriously,” Malindi said.
He added that they also worked with other African countries, namely Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, where they worked with music producers, shot a reality show, content and a “first of its kind” telenovela. www.fullview.co.za
AMBITIOUS PROJECT TO EMPOWER WOMEN IN COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Share: This will be achieved through internship programmes designed for those who share the passion
By Thuli Zungu
During this Women’s Month, Bizmod Consulting, a women-driven organisation, is shining the light on Letsibogo Girls Secondary School in Meadowlands, Soweto.
One of Bizmod’s core missions revolves around encouraging and creating opportunities for South African girls and women with a passion for information and communications technology (ICT). To achieve this, they established the Bizmod Women’s Trust 2016, empowering underprivileged girls in the ICT field, with Letsibogo Girls Secondary School being a primary beneficiary since 2021.
Jessica Tandy is at the helm of the Bizmod Women’s Trust which is a dedicated technology enthusiast who is passionate about contributing to the growth of gender skills parity in the ICT space.
“The school aligns perfectly with the Trust’s objectives to empower girls in the ICT field, especially those who are underprivileged,” says Tandy.
In 2022, they donated towards the renovation of the school’s computer lab and this year, they have provided the school with robotic kits and training for both the teachers and students. Recently, Letsibogo Girls Secondary School was officially launched as a school of specialisation in Mathematics, Sciences and ICT with a specific focus on Media and Communication.
While there has been a noticeable increase in the number of women enrolling in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education programmes, which are essential for pursuing ICT careers, the gender gap remains evident.
“Studies have shown that as girls progress through school, their interest in technology and computer science can decline due to stereotypes and biases.
“To address this issue, we have created programmes such as these and promote women role models who are innovators in the industry. By doing so, we break these barriers and encourage girls to pursue rewarding ICT careers.”
Tandy believes in empowering the upcoming generation and she emphasises that promoting education is one of the most effective ways to achieve this goal. The Bizmod Women’s Trust has set an ambitious target of empowering 500 women in the field of ICT over the next five years.
“We will achieve this goal through our partnership with Letsibogo Girls Secondary School, as well as through bursary and internship programmes designed for girls who share a passion for ICT .
Empowering the future of women leaders in technology is the responsibility of each individual and organisation and it is up to us to drive and create a more inclusive and diverse tech industry’’.
