Zimpapers | |
Formerly | Rhodesian Printing and Publishing Company (1927–1980) |
Company type | Public company |
Industry | Mass media |
Founded | 8 March 1927 |
Headquarters | , |
Area served | Southern Africa |
Key people | |
Owner | Zimbabwe Mass Media Trust (51%) |
Website | herald.co.zw/about-zimpapers |
Zimbabwe Newspapers (1980) Limited, operating as Zimpapers, is a state-controlled Zimbabwean mass media company.[1] Originally a newspaper Publishing company, in the 2010s it expanded its operations to include commercial printing, radio and television. The company's portfolio includes over a dozen Magazines and newspapers, including The Herald and The Chronicle, several radio stations, and a television network. It is the largest newspaper publisher in Zimbabwe.
Zimpapers traces its origins to 1891, when William Fairbridge established the Mashonaland Herald and Zambesian Times on behalf of the South African Argus Printing and Publishing Company. Argus spun its Southern Rhodesia newspapers into the Rhodesian Printing and Publishing Company and went public on 8 March 1927, making Zimpapers one of the oldest listings on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange. The company was renamed upon Rhodesia's independence as Zimbabwe in 1980, and the Zimbabwean government acquired majority ownership in the company. The government established the Zimbabwe Mass Media Trust (ZMMT) to oversee the country's newspapers under an independent board. The ZMMT was disbanded in 2000, and the company's newspapers are now largely seen as government mouthpieces.[2]