By Tichaona Katsvamutima
Seventy Nkululeko Rusununguko Television (NRTV) workers who went for months without pay are now closing in on more than US$278,000 in salary arrears after winning their labour battle, with the broadcaster’s assets set to go under the hammer.
The case has shifted attention beyond Wednesday’s auction to a wider accountability issue in Zimbabwe’s media industry, where journalists and other media workers can continue performing their duties for months without salaries and then face lengthy legal processes to recover money they have already earned.
“It’s a sad development really that employers would comfortably sleep knowing very well that their employees have not been paid months on end. It’s inhumane, to say the least,” Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) Secretary-General Perfect Hlongwane told National Interest Zimbabwe.
The 70 employees are owed US$278,479.88 in salaries accumulated between December 2024 and September 2025.
Their labour dispute was determined in their favour by arbitrator Patience Kavuru in November 2025, who found that the prolonged non-payment of salaries amounted to an unfair labour practice and ordered NRTV to settle the outstanding wages.
NRTV had cited financial difficulties and proposed settling the arrears in instalments, but the tribunal noted that the broadcaster had not produced evidence substantiating its claimed financial challenges or sought an exemption under the applicable collective bargaining agreement.
After the award was not satisfied, the workers moved to enforce it through the High Court. The arbitral award was registered as a High Court order in June 2026, clearing the way for the attachment and sale of NRTV’s movable property.
According to an auction notice issued by KM Auctions on the instructions of the Sheriff of the High Court of Zimbabwe, NRTV’s vehicles, broadcasting equipment, computers, furniture and other property are scheduled to go under the hammer on Wednesday, August 26.
Hlongwane said the dispute also exposed serious sustainability challenges confronting Zimbabwe’s media industry, warning that failure to address them could cost hundreds of journalists their jobs.
“The media industry in the country is facing serious sustainability challenges that we need to tackle as a country, otherwise we are going to witness closure of numerous outlets,” he said.
“This means hundreds of journalists and media workers will be out of employment. That will be a sad day indeed.”
But Hlongwane warned that keeping journalists at work without paying them carried consequences far beyond their individual financial circumstances.
“This exposes journalists to a lot of pressure, economic and socially. It erodes their dignity and integrity as most would put survival ahead of professionalism,” he said.
“Can you imagine how chaotic it will be to have media that does not adhere to any professional ethical consideration? Truth is, non-payment of salaries has a grave bearing on the profession and the practitioners themselves.”
The dispute comes against longstanding concerns over poor remuneration and difficult working conditions within Zimbabwe’s media industry, particularly as traditional media businesses grapple with declining revenues and rising operating costs.
Hlongwane said financial difficulties did not absolve media proprietors of their contractual responsibility to workers.
“Remember employment is a contractual relationship between the employer and the employee. In most cases the employees always meet their side of the bargain, regardless of non-payment they continue to execute their work as agreed in the contract,” he said.
“If they fail, the contract is used to dismiss them. In similar fashion employers should abide by the contractual responsibilities, failure to which they should be held accountable.”
Among the NRTV assets listed for auction are a Nissan NV350, Mercedes-Benz C200, three Toyota Aqua vehicles, a Toyota minibus and another vehicle identified in the notice as a Toyota Legend.
Television sets, desktop computers, printers, a photocopier, desks, dozens of office chairs, sofas, refrigerators, a deep freezer, water dispensers, gas tanks, a gas stove and other office equipment are also listed.
A large yellow generator is scheduled to be auctioned in situ at NRTV’s premises at 29 Argyll Drive in Newlands, Harare, at 10am, while the vehicles and remaining goods will be sold from 11am at KM Auctions in Eastlea.
