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A reader of The Herald in Masvingo admires the paper’s Southern Edition which hit the streets yesterday

Sydney Kawadza Bureau Chief
Readers of The Herald in Masvingo Province and surrounding areas covered under the paper’s Southern Edition yesterday overwhelmingly welcomed the paper which will cover and publish stories they relate to.

The Southern Edition of The Herald will cover all the seven districts in Masvingo Province, while extending coverage to such areas as Beitbridge, Zvishavane, Chivhu and others.

Masvingo’s districts are Mwenezi, Masvingo Rural, Chivi, Gutu, Zaka, Bikita and Chiredzi. In interviews, readers, political, business and the traditional leadership said the launch of the edition had been long overdue.

The edition, which saw readers battling to get a copy, is the second after the recent launch of The Herald Eastern Edition covering Manicaland and Mashonaland East provinces.

According to Zimpapers chief executive Mr Pikirayi Deketeke after the launch of the Eastern Edition, the editionalisation of The Herald was set to ensure readers get news they can relate to. He said news content had gone hyper-local as readers wanted to know what was happening within their locality.

The Herald Editor-In-Chief Mr Caesar Zvayi said the paper was in touch with the readers’ sentiments hence the editionalisation of the country’s top newspaper.

Describing The Herald as a behemoth, Mr Zvayi said editionalising the newspaper widened the gulf between it and its competitors. The Herald will also editionalise in the Central and Northern parts of Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe Chiefs Council President Chief Charumbira was ecstatic on the launch of the Southern Edition. “We are glad to have another Herald edition with a bias to community news. The edition will go a long way in covering issues affecting communities,” Chief Charumbira said.

He said most national papers have an elite approach. “Most papers, especially national ones, focus on the so called gurus, may it be politics or in social circle. There is an illusion that coverage should benefit those people who matter most forgetting that most newsworthy issues are found in the communities. Now that there is Herald Southern Edition, the information matrix will definitely change for the better,” he said.

Business executive Dr Fredrick Kasese hailed the new development in the media industry saying The Herald had come of age through the introduction of new editions that cover provinces.

“We wish the new Herald edition to cover business people in the region who did not have an opportunity to be heard.

“This is obviously presenting us with an opportunity to market ourselves as a province and business people. We have a number of opportunities here in Masvingo and the region which could not be marketed because of the shortage of space in national papers.

“Now that we have our edition dedicated for the issues right from the communities, it is going to change.”

Chivi Rural District Council (RDC) chairman Mr Killer Zivhu said: “A number of voices from Masvingo could not be heard through the media because of the small size of national papers. Now that we have an edition dedicated to our communities, we are glad.

“We will start reading issues from our region and people would want to be associated with their own stories not national stories only.” “It is always refreshing to get an update of what happens in your area of birth.”

Community Working Group on Health District chairperson Mrs Entrance Takaidza also praised The Herald for listening to the voice of reason.

“At least the media has listened to our grievances. We hope the Southern edition will cover issues from Ward level. Many development activities happen at that level but lack coverage.

“We also wish the new edition to cover health issues that we are involved as community health groups. There are a number of health challenges we are facing at ward hence the need for media coverage,” said Mrs Takaidza.

Masvingo Beef Farmers Association chairman Mr Robert Makado expressed optimism that the edition will address many socio –economic gaps within the region instead of concentrating more on politics.

“I hope the new edition will address real issues besides politics. It is not good to find only the councilor or MP getting media coverage in a ward with more than 2000 residents. Only one person is given priority leaving many people-it is not fair,” said Mr Makado.

City of Masvingo Town Clerk Mr Adolf Gusha said The Herald’s Southern Edition would expose the region to investors and tourists.

“We think the Southern Edition of The Herald will provide sufficient communication between rural and urban authorties and their residents. “It’s also an interactive medium between the people and their leadership,” he said.

The Southern Region boasts of such developments as Tokwe-Mukosi Dam in Chivi District,Gonarezhou National Park in the lowveld and the Great Zimbabwe in Masvingo rural which have a stimulate economic development.