JOURNO LECTURER IS MUGABE MAN

As the University of Swaziland (UNISWA) searches for a new journalism professor, let’s hope it doesn’t follow a lead of its counterpart in Botswana and employ one of Robert Mugabe’s chief apologists.

It has just been revealed that the University of Botswana (UB) has hired Caesar Zvayi as a journalism lecturer.

Zvayi is the former political editor of Zimbabwe’s state-owned Herald newspaper. He is on the list of members of Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party who have been slapped with European Union (EU) sanctions. He is banned from travel and has had his assets frozen.

By making the ban the EU accuses him of propagating hate speech and war in his news reports.

The Botswana Gazette reports that ‘A number of Zimbabweans, whom Zvayi dismisses as MDC supporters [the main opposition party in Zimbabwe], have questioned his credentials to teach a discipline whose principles they say he does not respect.

‘They accuse him of being linked to a spate of attacks on the Opposition MDC supporters, which led to their displacement from Zimbabwe and their flight to neighbouring countries and abroad.’

The South African University of Witwatersrand journalism website journalism.co.ac reports, ‘The Head of Media Studies Department at the University, Professor David Kerr said although Zvayi’s ideology and his support of Mugabe is an issue of concern, the University employs staff on academic merit, experience and a candidate’s political views are not considered.’

Kerr told the Botswana Gazette that the university was happy with Zvayi’s academic background and he was the only candidate that satisfied their criteria during recruitment.

Zvayi is quoted by the Botswana Gazette saying, ‘I make no apologies for supporting Zanu-PF because I subscribe to its Pan African values. I will never support the MDC as currently constituted because to me it is a counter-revolutionary Trojan horse that is working with outsiders to subvert the logical conclusion of the Zimbabwean revolution.’

The Botswana Gazette reports that Zvayi is one of 137 people just added to the EU sanctions list. I hope UNISWA has a copy.

To access the full Botswana Gazette report click here