I was deeply shocked when I heard that my friend and former colleague at ZBC, John Masuku, had died on Friday.
Three days earlier, he had telephoned me and said we needed to meet soon, as he had something important to discuss.
I had known him since around 1976, when he was an announcer and producer at the Rhodesia Broadcasting Corporation based at Mbare Studios. When I joined ZBC as a reporter in 1980, he had moved to Pockets Hill as an announcer and television newsreader.
He rose through the ranks to become General Manager of four radio stations.
Masuku was a rare breed of journalist, endowed with excellent public relations skills and respected by everyone he worked with. He was also an exceptionally talented media trainer, having received hands-on coaching at the BBC in London and Deutsche Welle in Cologne, Germany.
The veteran broadcaster came from a family well known in the media. His cousin, the late Joseph Masuku, was a newsreader before and after independence at the national broadcaster.
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John Masuku was widely known as an advocate of press freedom and won an international award in 2013 — the Press Freedom Prize — for his work in promoting free expression and ethical journalism. He also received several other media awards, including the Nelson Mandela Prize for his radio documentary on the Beira Corridor.
After leaving ZBC in 2002, he worked as Executive Director of Radio Voice of the People (VOP) in Zimbabwe.
Masuku, who grew up in Highfield, held two degrees: a first degree in Politics and Public Administration and a Master’s degree in Journalism from Stellenbosch University in South Africa.
Two of his former colleagues at ZBC, now based in the UK, sent the following messages on Friday:
Dr David Mwenga wrote, “Can’t believe John is gone.”
Dr Selby Kabote said, “Masuku was an excellent journalist and a very good person.”
He is survived by his wife, Agnes, and four adult children — three girls and one boy.
Rest in peace, Sazita. You have left a void that will not be easy to fill.