Zimbabwe’s fastest growing business weekly, Business Times, underlined its status as a force to reckon with after its reporter Phillimon Mhlanga (pictured) swept three awards at the inaugural Insurance and Pensions Awards ceremony held in the capital last Friday.
The awards come barely four months after the paper hit the streets. Mhlanga smiled all the way to the podium after being crowned the 2018 Short-term Insurance Journalist of the Year, Pensions Journalist of the Year and went on to be crowned the first runner-up in the Life Insurance/Assurance Journalist of the Year.
The awards ceremony, which was organised by the Insurance and Pensions Commission (IPEC), aims at honouring journalists who show exceptional grasp and interrogation of the insurance and pensions issues in the media throughout the year.
For coming out tops, Mhlanga received cash prizes and certificates. In a speech read by a ministry official, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, George Guvamatanga, said the media should play a critical watchdog-role in “informing and educating insurance and pension consumers about the benefits of transferring risk and saving for retirement”.
“As purveyors of information, the media should play its part in demystifying myths about insurance and pensions matters, through unpacking the technical concepts, objectively informing and educating the public about insurance and pensions,” Guvamatanga said.
“Insurance and pensions matters are, by their very nature, generally technical. The majority of the people may not know how the industry operates or what it offers. As such, it is critical that the media simplifies issues when reporting for the benefit of the public.
Responsible, objective and simplified reporting helps consumers of insurance and pension products to make informed decisions.”
