Daily News Closure Throws Thousands Out of Work.

(From Zimbabwe Standard - AAGM)

Byline: Henry Makiwa

SULLEN-FACED, distraught and deep in thought, Naison Chitore, sits on a concrete slab at the corner of Harare's Kwame Nkurumah Avenue and Park Lane with his back to the pavement, which at this hour is bustling with an early morning work-bound crowd.

But to his friend, "Cde Never" (named after somebody noticed his close resemblance to the cartoon character in The Daily News), it is business as usual.

Vainly, Cde Never tries to solicit indifferent passers-by to buy a copy of the heaped Herald newspaper, the government's controlled daily newspaper that is now widely despised by Harare residents. The Herald was indeed facing a torrid time on the streets until recently when The Daily News was banned.

"By the way, have you made up your mind about my offer that I hire you as my house girl now that you are out of work," Cde Never chides Chitore, …