By Nyasha Kunyiswa
LEADING independent national commercial television station, 3Ktv, has honoured illustrious individuals and organisations for championing the empowerment of women.
The accolades, which were bestowed during 3Ktv’s Women’s Month Dinner and Awards Night in Harare on Monday evening, celebrated women’s achievements across various sectors.
Among the honourees were NedBank Zimbabwe chief executive officer, Sibongile Moyo; the chief operating officer of WestProp, Tatiana Ellis; and Mandela Washington Fellow and Zimbabwe Science Ambassador, Sicelo Dube.
Old Mutual Zimbabwe and Schweppes Zimbabwe were also recognised for championing women’s empowerment. Evergreen Construction and Mother Touch Group of Schools were similarly honoured for championing women’s entrepreneurship development. Proweb, Women Excel and Women Owned Business were also recognised for driving women’s development and networks.
The guest of honour at the glittering event, the minister of Women’s Affairs, Monica Mutsvangwa, said the government was committed to taking decisive action and advocating for women’s rights, in an effort to promote gender equality.
Mutsvangwa said women and girls still lacked economic self-sufficiency and adequate representation in decision-making roles at all levels. “The government is committed to continue advocating for women’s rights in an effort to promote gender equality. Gender inequality remains a significant barrier impeding women’s progress in various sectors.
“This underscores the urgent need to accelerate our efforts and take decisive action to ensure that every woman and girl has the opportunity to reach their full potential,” Mutsvangwa said.
She added that in order to achieve gender equality, the government was undertaking programmes in response to women’s needs.
“The government is guided by policies that affirm every woman’s full and equal dignity with men, thereby ensuring equal opportunities in socio-economic spheres.
“The implementation of gender equality and women’s empowerment is directed by the national gender policy and the broad-based women economic empowerment framework, which ensure that women have an equal stake in the economy, and access to all economic opportunities. Women in media are instrumental in promoting diverse viewpoints and accurate representation, and they provide platforms for female voices, challenge gender stereotypes and advocate for equality by highlighting issues impacting women,” Mutsvangwa said further.
The awards ceremony took place after 3Ktv celebrated its third anniversary last Friday, as the history-making station continues to make tremendous commercial progress despite the country’s challenging operating environment.
Pilate Machadu, the Group CEO of Jester Media Services (JMS) — the owners of 3Ktv — said then that the station had performed well all round over the past 12 months, at a time that industry peers were taking significant strain.
“It is most pleasing to see that 3Ktv is continuing to perform well ahead of all our projections — including with regards to its commercial sustainability. This is all thanks to the incredible support of our viewers and valued business partners, as well as our content providers and the dedication of our staff across our group.
“With this winning combination, it is little wonder that all credible research confirms that 3Ktv is the market leader by some distance on satellite television.
“It has also rapidly become an indispensable part of the wider local broadcasting industry,” Machadu said then. To say, therefore, that we are excited about what the future holds for 3Ktv and our entire group is an understatement.
We are confident that things will only get better for the station and the rest of our well-known media assets that include the iconic Daily News, the Daily News On Sunday and The Financial Gazette, the country’s number one business publication.
“Of course, we are not sitting on our laurels. Indeed, we are ramping up our strategies and continuing to make significant new investments in all our areas of operation that encompass print, broadcasting and digital,” Machadu added.
3Ktv is a free-to-air (FTA), digital terrestrial television (DTT) station. This means that contrary to social media babble, anyone with the right equipment — such as a suitable set-top box — can receive its programming for free wherever the signal is available.
Licensed in November 2020 after coming up tops in a competitive, open bidding process, the country’s fastest-growing station went live amid palpable excitement nationally three years ago.
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. The station has won scores of awards for its unique and riveting programming over the past three years.