Tapiwa Zivira
Encyclopedia
Tapiwa Zivira is a prominent Zimbabwean human rights journalist who has worked for The Zimbabwe Standard newspaper as an intern reporter during the time when the Robert Mugabe
government was at the height of cracking down on the independent press. It was while he was at The Standard that Zivira was distinctively fearless in the face of media suppression by the Robert Mugabe government.
Zivira's work as a student journalist reached a climax in March 2007 when he defied the existing political tension when he wrote an account describing the death of Gift Tandare
, an opposition Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai
activist who was shot by police while demonstrating in the high-density suburb of Highfield, Harare
. On the day Tandare was shot, Morgan Tsvangirai and his top party officials were arrested and beaten up by police while they were on their way to the scheduled prayer meeting in Highfield. During the same week Zivira was savagely beaten up by police while covering a demonstration by a vocal civic organisation critical to the then, ZANU PF-appointed commission running the Zimbabwean capital of Harare, The Combined Harare Residents' Association.
Zivira later joined The General Agriculture and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe as an information officer and there he continued to use his journalistic background to advocate for the rights of farm workers. Again, he was on the hot seat of the crucial information desk of an organisation that had to represent its farm worker membership as the controversial land reform programme continued to leave more farm workers displaced and in need of humanitarian assistance. As Information Officer Zivira was given the dangerous task of exposing the state-sponsored human rights abuses targeting farm workers. This did not endear him with some top officials in government. In June 2008, at the height of the bloody political violence ahead of a presidential election run-off pitting Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, Zivira had to go into hiding for more than two weeks to avoid attack by some ZANU PF youth militia who accused him of fingering them in the displacement
of Zimbabwean farm workers.
In December 2008, Zivira was arrested together with the leadership of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions
after taking part in a demonstration against Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
Governor
Gideon Gono
's quasi fiscal policies that saw the Zimbabwe dollar losing its value and affecting the working class's wages.
In 2009 Zivira was part of the team that produced the report on the abuse of farm workers during the land reform programme
. The report If something is wrong and the documentary House of Justice received international attention on the atrocities committed by the government of Robert Mugabe on the farm workers. Zivira and his boss Gertrude Hambira were forced to flee in February 2010 after the dreaded intelligence officials besieged GAPWUZ Harare offices. This was seen as an attempt to silence the exposure of allegations of human rights abuses on farm workers during the land reform programme. Zivira continues to work for GAPWUZ and writes human rights stories for The Zimbabwean newspaper.His stories continue to have an in-depth appeal to the lives of Zimbabwe's forgotten: the farm workers.
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
government was at the height of cracking down on the independent press. It was while he was at The Standard that Zivira was distinctively fearless in the face of media suppression by the Robert Mugabe government.
Zivira's work as a student journalist reached a climax in March 2007 when he defied the existing political tension when he wrote an account describing the death of Gift Tandare
Gift Tandare
Gift Tandare was a member of the Zimbabwe political party Movement for Democratic Change. He was shot dead by police at a prayer meeting. The government of Zimbabwe denied the family permission to bury him at Granville cemetery in Harare, fearing reprisals from mourners. He was laid to rest at his...
, an opposition Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai
Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai
The Movement for Democratic Change Zimbabwe is a political party and the largest party in the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe. It is the main formation formed from the split of the original Movement for Democratic Change in 2005.-Foundation:...
activist who was shot by police while demonstrating in the high-density suburb of Highfield, Harare
Highfield, Harare
Highfield is a high density suburb in Harare, Zimbabwe. It is one of the oldest townships in Zimbabwe.- Geography :Highfield is a high density suburb to the south west of Harare the capital of Zimbabwe. Popularly known as Fio in local slang...
. On the day Tandare was shot, Morgan Tsvangirai and his top party officials were arrested and beaten up by police while they were on their way to the scheduled prayer meeting in Highfield. During the same week Zivira was savagely beaten up by police while covering a demonstration by a vocal civic organisation critical to the then, ZANU PF-appointed commission running the Zimbabwean capital of Harare, The Combined Harare Residents' Association.
Zivira later joined The General Agriculture and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe as an information officer and there he continued to use his journalistic background to advocate for the rights of farm workers. Again, he was on the hot seat of the crucial information desk of an organisation that had to represent its farm worker membership as the controversial land reform programme continued to leave more farm workers displaced and in need of humanitarian assistance. As Information Officer Zivira was given the dangerous task of exposing the state-sponsored human rights abuses targeting farm workers. This did not endear him with some top officials in government. In June 2008, at the height of the bloody political violence ahead of a presidential election run-off pitting Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, Zivira had to go into hiding for more than two weeks to avoid attack by some ZANU PF youth militia who accused him of fingering them in the displacement
Zimbabwean presidential election, 2008
The Republic of Zimbabwe held a presidential election along with a parliamentary election on 29 March 2008. The three major candidates were incumbent President Robert Mugabe of the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front , Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change , and...
of Zimbabwean farm workers.
In December 2008, Zivira was arrested together with the leadership of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions is the dominant central trade union federation in Zimbabwe. The general secretary of ZCTU is Wellington Chibebe and the president is Lovemore Matombo....
after taking part in a demonstration against Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is the central bank of Zimbabwe.-History:The bank traces its history to the Bank of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, founded in March 1956, which in turn was the successor to the Central Currency Board....
Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Gideon Gono
Gideon Gono
Gideon Gono is the current Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and former CEO of the Jewel Bank, formerly known as the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe...
's quasi fiscal policies that saw the Zimbabwe dollar losing its value and affecting the working class's wages.
In 2009 Zivira was part of the team that produced the report on the abuse of farm workers during the land reform programme
Land reform in Zimbabwe
Land reform in Zimbabwe officially began in 1979 with the signing of the Lancaster House Agreement, an effort to more equitably distribute land between the historically disenfranchised blacks and the minority-whites who ruled Zimbabwe from 1890 to 1979...
. The report If something is wrong and the documentary House of Justice received international attention on the atrocities committed by the government of Robert Mugabe on the farm workers. Zivira and his boss Gertrude Hambira were forced to flee in February 2010 after the dreaded intelligence officials besieged GAPWUZ Harare offices. This was seen as an attempt to silence the exposure of allegations of human rights abuses on farm workers during the land reform programme. Zivira continues to work for GAPWUZ and writes human rights stories for The Zimbabwean newspaper.His stories continue to have an in-depth appeal to the lives of Zimbabwe's forgotten: the farm workers.