Zimbabwe’s media and arts fraternity has been thrown into mourning following the death of broadcast journalist, writer and actress Cordelia Masalethulini, who was reportedly found dead in Borrowdale, Harare, on Monday.
Masalethulini (45) was a respected media professional whose career spanned both Zimbabwe and South Africa. News of her death has triggered an outpouring of grief and tributes from colleagues, friends and admirers across the region.
She was the younger sister of former top model Brita Masalethulini and built a distinguished career in broadcast journalism. Masalethulini previously served as an international news anchor at South Africa’s eNCA before returning home to work with ZiFM Stereo and later the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), where she anchored main news bulletins and co-hosted Good Morning Zimbabwe.
Beyond mainstream broadcasting, she was also involved in independent media production. Masalethulini worked with Eleven Dogs Inc, where she hosted State of the Nation, and later founded CocoMass, a content platform producing voice-overs, documentaries and television projects centred on African storytelling.
Her journalism was widely praised for its investigative depth and strong focus on women empowerment in the media space. She was also associated with The NewsHawks, where she operated from their offices for a period.
In addition to journalism, Masalethulini pursued acting and featured in the 2024 film Neria 21, a remake of the iconic Zimbabwean film Neria, in which she played the role of Jane Machacha.
At the time of her death, she was reportedly working on several film and storytelling projects with fellow creatives in Zimbabwe’s media industry.
Details surrounding her death have not yet been officially released, as investigations are understood to be ongoing.
