BY SPORTS REPORTER ALPHA Media Holdings’ multiple award-winning senior sports reporter Henry Mhara was crowned the Sports Journalist of the Year first-runner up in the Print Media category at the annual Sports Journalists Association (Spoja) ceremony.
The glittering event, which was graced by Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services deputy minister Kindness Paradza, honoured the outstanding sports journalists in the country at a Harare hotel last Friday.
His award is a major vote of confidence in AMH’s coverage of sports in the country.
Excelling journalists from the electronic, online media, photographers and videographers were also rewarded.
Mhara, who writes for the AMH stable which include NewsDay, The Standard and The Zimbabwe Independent, won the Sports Journalist of the Year award in 2019 when the awards ceremony was last held.
A COVID-19 pandemic meant the organisers could not host the ceremony in the last two years.
AMH’s HStv had a winner on the night as well when its correspondent Richard Zimunya scooped the Young Reporter of the Year award.
The prestige of the Spoja awards is anchored on the high calibre of the judges, with the country’s sports editors sitting on the adjudication panel.
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Chairperson of the adjudication panel, Steve Vickers said they were impressed with the submissions they received this year, especially in the print media category.
Vickers said they honoured Mhara for his “fearless reporting which unearthed massive corruption at Zifa,” under former president Philip Chiyangwa.
His entries included an expose in which Chiyangwa ordered Zifa to meet the costs of his lavish birthday party in 2017 which was attended by Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
“All I can say is that it takes diligence and hard work to achieve this. I also wish to thank the entire staff at AMH and the Editor-in-Chief Wisdom Mdzungairi for their support. My gratitude to them is eternal and unwavering,” Mhara said.
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