Ashley Moyo
SENIOR LIFESTYLE WRITER
THE country’s leading independent national commercial television station, 3Ktv, is continuing to set the pace for all local broadcasters on the small screen.
This comes after the rapidly growing station’s hugely popular drama series, Inkaba, garnered three nominations this week for the highly regarded National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA) scheduled to be held in Harare on March 1.
Inkaba was nominated for Outstanding Actress (Chesesile Mpofu as Tabitha Dube), Outstanding Actor (John Mabuyane as Tembani Dube), and Outstanding Screen Production (Television).
3Ktv head of programming, Lucia Kanyongo, hailed Mabuyane — the writer, director and executive producer of Inkaba — for his winning partnership with 3Ktv, and for producing a drama series that was “inspiring, educative and most entertaining”.
“The Inkaba team has managed to consistently weave story lines and intriguing tales that resonate with viewers across the country, sparking their imagination and keeping them glued to their screens and 3Ktv.
“Great credit also goes to all my colleagues at 3Ktv who always go out of their way to come up with diverse content that sits well with our audiences’ preferences and which represents the ‘Very Best of Zimbabwe’ as captured by our on-the-button slogan.
“Thank you too to all our multitudes of loyal viewers and advertisers for continuing to support and to walk with us in a resounding way.
We owe our success to you,” Kanyongo said. On his part, Mabuyane described Inkaba’s triple nomination as “a welcome endorsement”.
“Receiving these nominations is incredibly meaningful, not just to me, but to the entire Inkaba team. It reflects the hard work, dedication and passion that we all poured into this project.
“I couldn’t be prouder to be part of such a talented group of individuals. This acknowledgment fuels our motivation to continue pushing boundaries and telling powerful stories that resonate with audiences,” he said.
Mabuyane also applauded 3Ktv for showcasing Inkaba and other local producers and artists. “My relationship with 3Ktv has been one of collaboration and mutual respect. Over the years, they have provided us with a platform that champions innovative stories and bold storytelling.
“The support that they offer to artists and creators is invaluable, allowing us to share our visions with a broad audience.
“It’s been a wonderful journey working with such a committed team, and their belief in my craft has always inspired me to push my limits. The synergy we’ve cultivated over the years has laid the groundwork for many successful projects, including this one,” Mabuyane added.
3Ktv is a free-to-air (FTA), digital terrestrial television (DTT) station, which means that anyone with the right equipment — such as a suitable set-top box — can receive its programming for free wherever the signal is available.
Its feed is also available through other platforms for which subscription fees may be payable, which explains the station’s valued partnership with MultiChoice — which sees 3Ktv also hosted on DStv’s channel 293.
Licensed in November 2020 after coming up tops in an open bidding process, the station went live amid palpable excitement in the country on February 28, 2022.
In the process, the most watched local channel on satellite made history and became the first private station to operate legally in Zimbabwe since television was first introduced in the then Southern Rhodesia in November 1960.
Apart from operating 3Ktv, the station’s owners Jester Media Services also publish arguably Zimbabwe’s most important newspapers that include the influential Daily News and The Financial Gazette — the country’s number one business publication.
