Jonathan Moyo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jonathan Nathaniel Moyo (born 12 January 1957) is a political figure in Zimbabwe.
His father was an active ZAPU cadre and a community leader. Jonathan was raised by his mother, who was separated from his father early on. His mother was very close in the early sixties and mid-seventies to the family of the late Ndabaningi Sithole who was at the time the President of ZANU. Through these links that he ended up in Zambia and later Tanzania between 1973 (age 16) and 1977 (age 20).
Contents |
[edit] USA
His two scholarships from the United Nations and the Africa American Institute to the University of Southern California in June 1978 were through the ZANU office in New York then headed by Kangai Tirivafi. From November 1977 to December 1981, he was ZANU's Secretary for Commissariat for the Los Angeles Branch in California.
He graduated from the University of Southern California in June 1982 with a Bachelor's (Bsc) degree in public policy obtaining a Masters Degree in Public Administration (MPA) with same university in 1984.
He was a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, before moving to Kenya.
[edit] Kenya
In 1993 he was program director for the Ford Foundation in Nairobi. He departed under a cloud after allegations that he had embezzled US$88,000 from the organisation.
[edit] South Africa
In January 1998 he moved to South Africa, to the University of Witwatersrand (WITS) to work on a project entitled The Future of the African Elite sponsored by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. WITS later claimed that he had absconded with part of a R100 million research grant for the project. In October 2006 Moeletsi Mbeki, younger brother of South African President Thabo Mbeki, and Witwatersrand University separately applied for an order to have Jonathan Moyo jailed the next time he visits South Africa. [1]
[edit] Zimbabwe
Moyo was one of Mugabe's strongest critics. But in 1999 he was appointed to the Constitution Review Commission tasked with coming up with a new constitution for the country, when he moved back to Zimbabwe and became a key Mugabe ally.
He spearheaded the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) (2002), the Broadcasting Services Act (BSA) (2001) and the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (Commercialisation) Act (2003). This led to widespread criticism that he was attacking freedom of speech.
When Moyo brought the AIPPA to parliament, the chairman of the Parliamentary Legal Committee, Dr Eddison Zvobgo, said: I can say without equivocation that this Bill, in its original form, was the most calculated and determined assault on our liberties guaranteed by the Constitution, in the 20 years I served as Cabinet minister.
[edit] Tsholotsho
Much philanthropy, including scholarship programs and support for sport over many years, has earned Moyo a place in Tsholotsho, his family area.
In the leadup to the 2004 party meeting, he held an unofficial meeting in Tsholotsho, of Zanu-PF political heavyweights including six provincial party chairmen, Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, and a militant war veterans' leader, Joseph Chinotimba. It was aimed at contesting one of the two vice-presidential seats after the recent death of Simon Muzenda on September 20, 2003, seen as a stepping stone to the country's top job after Mugabe retires in 2008.
He was heavily censured at the later Zanu-PF meeting, with other attendees. Joyce Mujuru won the vice-presidency at the party meeting.
The subsequent decision to set aside the Tsholotsho seat in the 2005 parliamentary elections for female candidates was widely interpreted as punishing those who organised the unauthorised meeting, and in particular Moyo.
In February 2005, Moyo registered to run as an independent for the seat. [2] Doing so earned the wrath of Mugabe, who expelled him from the party and the cabinet. He won the seat in the elections, held on March 31. [3]
[edit] Appointments
- Lecturer - Department of Political and Administrative Studies, University of Zimbabwe (1988–1993)
- Programme Officer - Ford Foundation (1993–1997)
- Visiting Professor - University of Witwatersrand (January 1998–July 2000)
- Spokesman - Constitutional Commission, Government of Zimbabwe (1999–2000)
- General Election Campaign Manager - Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (2000)
- Minister of Information - Government of Zimbabwe (July 2000–February 2005)
- Member - Central Committee, Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (July 2000–December 2004)
- Currently independent MP for Tsholotsho after trouncing the ruling ZANU(PF) and the fierceful MDC in the March parliamentary elections which the Western media and the main opposition MDC claim to be the worst election fraud.
[edit] Criticism
Jonathan Moyo has been heavily critised and ridiculed for his activities during the time he was Minister of Information and Publicity.
In 2005 Asher Tarivona Mutsengi who was then a student leader at Solusi University said about him: "Moyo will go down in the annals of history as a minister who lacked foresight and for pouring vitriol against his perceived opponents, his shopping spree in South Africa of scarce food stuffs, causing unemployment to a multitude of journalist and a penchant for uncivilised propaganda. "
He concluded "My final analysis is that he is heading for the precipice and his political prospects even if he wins the Tsholotsho seat that he is vying for as an independent are drab. He might be a spin-doctor and intelligent as some claim, but I don’t subscribe to that myself." [4]
Innocent Madawo a Zimbabwean journalist exiled in Canada said in an interview about Jonathan Moyo, "If it were not for Jonathan Moyo I would not be here and I am sure I am not the only one who feels like this. Even those who may have been showered with favours by the good professor, I know for certain that they too were burdened by his attentions and demands and right now, a lot are embarrassed that they ever knew him.
[edit] Presidential ambitions
Jonathan Moyo has been harbouring presidential ambitions and soon after his dismissal from government he lauched his own politcal party which he named the United people's Movement(UPM)He said in an interview about the party"Third way(UPM)translates into a political movement as I am certain it will, then sure, it must contest Presidential elections"
[edit] External links
- www.prof-jonathan-moyo.com
- The Insider - Moyo eyes Tsholotsho
- Full Text of Moyos Response to His Dismissal By President Mugabe
