Tommy Sithole

Career

Sithole worked as a pilot and flight instructor in both Zimbabwe and Tanzania, having studied at Meacham Aviation in Forth Worth, Texas, USA.

Timothy Sithole spent 12 years working for the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he was responsible for relations with governments, international organisations, education and culture, environment, development and humanitarian activities.

Sithole also served on the international sports community at the United Nations as Director and Deputy Representative at IOC Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York.

He also has served three four-year terms as Secretary-General of the Association of National Olympic Committee of Africa.^[1]

Journalism

In 1983 Sithole was appointed the editor of The Chronicle, becoming the first black person to assume the position. He was later appointed the editor of The Herald, replacing Farai Munyuki who had moved to Zimbabwe Inter-Africa News Agency (ZIANA). Sithole was replaced at The Chronicle by Geoff Nyarota.

As editor the Herald, Sithole was considered a staunch Zanu PDF supporter. ^[2]

Sithole held the Herald Editor position until early 1998 when he was removed through a "promotion" to the position of Director of Business Projects at Zimpapers.

In January 1998 there were protests and riots against the government, which were preceded by unrest, strikes, and demonstrations in 1997. The Herald had become critical of government policy and also published independent reports on issues such as police brutality in quelling demonstrations, government's mismanagement of the economy, and the wastage of public funds. On 20 and 21 January 1998 there were sharp editorial comments following violent food price riots. The editorials accused the government of scapegoating the problem by blaming ZCTU and white people for the unrest. They also accused the government of inaction of not being "truly concerned" with "what might be potentially the most serious problem our country has faced to date" ^[2]

Sithole lost his job soon after.

Sports Administration

In 1982, The Government of Zimbabwe applied and was granted authority by the IOC to dissolve the ZOC Board and appoint the Tommy Sithole led executive to address the racial representation in the national associations.

Sithole worked for the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he was responsible for relations with governments, international organisations, education and culture, environment, development and humanitarian activities.

He also represented the international sports community at the United Nations as Director and Deputy Representative at IOC Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York.

He also served three 4-year terms as Secretary General of the Association of National Olympic Committee of Africa (Anoca) since 2013.

Career as Zimpapers Chairman

Sithole faced accusations from Zimpapers staff of being meddlesome, particularly in editorial. Following his appointment, he demanded and was given an office at the Zimpapers head office at Herald House.

Subsequently, he created a WhatsApp group for all editors where he was daily reviewing their work. The WhatsApp group was eventually shut down after editors complained to Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa.

As chairman of the Zimbabwe Newspapers Group (Zimpapers) Sithole allegedly told editors to openly declare support for Zanu PF before elections, claiming: “It happens everywhere.”

In November 2021, ZimLive reported that Timothy Sithole told editors at a retreat in Victoria Falls that they should not be “ashamed” of supporting Zanu-PF, claiming it was a “national agenda.”

"We can do better, and we want to do the best we can to support the government, to support the system, because it’s never something to be ashamed of to be supporting a government, to be supporting the party (Zanu PF). It happens everywhere, even in the United States and the United Kingdom that before elections, newspapers declare which candidate they are going to be supporting. It’s not something that we’re inventing, it’s something that’s there. The fact is that there’ not a single editor in our entire system who is going to sit there and say I’m going to do down the government."

^[3]

References