By Samuel Muzhingi
Ex-Zanu PF Politburo member, Supa Mandiwanzira stirred controversy after threatening to establish his own advertising agency to rival existing companies.
This followed a heated exchange between Mandiwanzira and Fungai Zvirawa, an advertising agent and the president of the Zimbabwe Association of Accredited Practitioners in Advertising (ZAAPA) at the Media Sustainability in Zimbabwe Summit hosted by the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ) and Zimbabwe Media Freedom Committee (ZMFC) in Harare on Wednesday.
“Don’t push me into a space where I’ll say now, I need to establish my own agency,” proclaimed a fiery Mandiwanzira. “The same entrepreneurial spirit I have will help me set up an agency and I’ll go after your clients, and we’ll start competing with those clients.”
This follows a viral ’30-second clip’ in which the ex-Politburo member was said to have advocated for the removal of advertising agencies.
“It (the video) pretty much tainted the advertising industry in a negative way, yet we are actually a significant contributor to the industry’s revenue,” said Zvirawa. “Supa (Mandiwanzira), you actually instigated toxicity in the advertising ecosystem of Zimbabwe.”
“You (Mandiwanzira) calling for an entire industry, like advertising, to be shut down is surely anti-Vision 2030. There are a lot of young executives within the media landscape who are actually upcoming,” she said. “Supa, considering you are part of Zanu PF politburo, and you are calling for a complete obliteration of a significant stakeholder that actually contributes positively to the advertising revenue streams through our work is actually absurd.”
Speaking to the Media Centre on the sidelines, Zvirawa welcomed the idea and noted that as long as Mandiwanzira adheres to the rules and regulations, there is no issue with him flexing his entrepreneurial muscles in the advertising agency industry.
“As long as he adheres to the by-laws of the advertising industry, where there are no conflicts of interest, he can do whatever he likes,” said Zvirawa.
Mandiwanzira also echoed Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) chairperson Professor Ruby Magosvongwe’s sentiments on the necessity of finding creative ways to regulate advertising agencies, emphasizing the importance of creating sustainability. This came after a panel discussion on optimizing advertising revenues and policy considerations.
“I have noted a few points, but the idea of strict regulation is the one that excited me. I understand ZAAPA approached the minister of information. Our constitution is very clear as to who the regulator of the media industry is, that is, ZMC,” Prof Magosvongwe said. “We don’t want to create disjuncture in the way we manage the affairs and relations in the media industry.”
“I will be happy to have conversations with the advertising agents, associations so we align ourselves with the constitutional framework that we have.”
Media practitioners present also emphasized the necessity for government intervention to salvage the media industry. Research conducted by Media Monitors revealed a lack of credit facilities for media organizations.
“Media houses did not have easy access to capital markets, such as stock markets,” noted Farisai Chaniwa, director of Media Monitors. “Lending from banks was limited, and when available, it often came with high-interest rates and short-term repayment terms.
“All media houses noted that the operating environment was difficult, with limited access to bank loans and other lines of credit.”
