Zimbabwe board onside with local media

The Zimbabwe board has intensified a drive to win over the local media by offering journalists office space on ZC property, all expenses paid.

Cricinfo has learned from a reliable Zimbabwean online journalist now based in South Africa that ZC, through its media chief Lovemore Banda, has offered the local Sports Writers Association of Zimbabwe (SWAZ) office space at its headquarters at Harare Sports Club.

The Cape Town-based journalist said the office is now ready for occupation by the journalists, mostly from the state-controlled media, who have accepted the offer.

ZC has been accused over in recent years of attempting, in most instances successfully, to buy favour with local journalists through means such paying fore them to travel on national team tours.

The source claimed the drive was being undertaken to neutralise the local media's coverage of the results of an independent audit team which is due to report to the ICC at the end of the month.