Amai Jukwa

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Amai Jukwa
Picture of Amai Jukwa
Cartoon representation of Amai Jukwa as it appeared in her Herald column
Occupation
  • Political Commentator
  • Journalist
Years active2012– June 2014

Amai Jukwa was the nom de plume of a pro ZANU PF columnist of The Herald daily newspaper in Zimbabwe. She also posted content on social media networks, Facebook and Twitter under the same name. character known for posting private details and sometimes secrets of public officials. Initially based in the United Kingdom Amai Jukwa was in the limelight during the build up to the July 2013 harmonised elections and was believed to be working to destroy the Movement for Democratic Change MDC and its leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Eventually, Amai Jukwa was revealed to be Edmund Kudzayi, a journalist and media professional appointed to the position of Sunday Mail Editor by Jonathan Moyo in April 2014.

As columnist

Amai Jukwa's writing earned her invitations to write opinion columns for at least 3 media companies: NewZimbabwe.com, The Zimbabwe Independent, and The Herald. Eventually, she started writing for the Herald in 2012.

Contradictions

Amai Jukwa not only showered praises on ZANU PF and mock opposition parties but at times she would attack those within her alleged party ZANU PF. She once attacked former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor and ZANU PF official, Gideon Gono accusing him of gross mismanagement and theft. She also said her party had failed to deliver for the 33 years it had been in power. In one of her historic posts, Amai Jukwa said that the sanctions imposed on the country were not responsible for the country's many failures. Rather she said the blame lies on incompetent and corrupt managers.[1]

Bannned from Facebook

In October 2013, Amai Jukwa's Facebook page was deleted by Facebook. One Tatenda Nyoni, who runs a series of 'Masasi' Facebook is said to have been the one that asked Facebook to disable Amai Jukwa's page. He asked his fans to report posts and pictures by Amai Jukwa, which resulted in the ban.[2]

Identity Revealed as Edmund Kudzayi

In June 2014, after Edmund Kudzayi had been arrested allegedly for "being Baba Jukwa", Mduduzi Mathuthu, wrote in an opinion article in the Herald, that Kudzayi was not Baba Jukwa, but instead, Amai Jukwa. He wrote:

Unexpectedly, I got a message from Mai Jukwa. “She” wanted us to meet at a hotel in Harare. By appointment, I met Mai Jukwa. It was not a she, but a he! He was Edmund Kudzayi, now the editor of The Sunday Mail who last Saturday was charged with attempting to commit acts of insurgency, banditry, sabotage or terrorism; undermining the authority or insulting the President and publishing or communicating false statements prejudicial to the State.[3]

Earlier on, in May 2014, in a ZiFM Stereo radio interview conducted by Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa and also attended by the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe executive director Loughty Dube, Kudzayi had flatly denied being Amai Jukwa.[4]

After Kudzayi's arrest, Amai Jukwa's column in the Herald was pulled. "Her" Twitter account too stopped posting.

References

  1. Conway Tutan, Well said, Amai Jukwa!, 'NewsDay', Published: 29 Nov 2013, Retrieved: 13 May 2014
  2. Mai Jukwa Banned from Facebook, Some young lad claims responsibility, 'Technomag', Published: 28 Oct 2013, Retrieved: 13 May 2014
  3. Mduduzi Mathuthu The Jukwas: A short history, The Herald, Retrieved:3 January 2015, Published:23 June 2014
  4. Gift Phiri Factbox: Sunday Mail editor Edmund Kudzayi, Daily News, Retrieved:3 January 2015, Published:27 June 2014

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