Jonathan Moyo

Jonathan Nathaniel Mlevu Moyo (born 12 January 1957) is a Zimbabwean politician who served in the government of Zimbabwe as Minister of Higher Education from 2015 to 2017.

His father was a politician and was allegedly murdered on 22 January 1983, during the Gukurahundi massacre.

Jonathan Moyo attended his primary school at Mbiriya primary school in Tsholotsho North and his High school was in Mpopoma High school.

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.

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 100 million rand research grant for the project.

When the Daily News was shut down, he said "The Daily News is a victim of the rule of law which it had been preaching since 1999."

In the mere space of seven years, Moyo went from being a fervent critic of the government of Robert Mugabe to being its fiercest defender and then again to being one of its foremost critics, a fact that renders him a mystery to many Zimbabweans.

Analysts and observers and ordinary people have labelled him an opportunist because of this puzzling behaviour, including George Charamba, his former friend and ally.

He has said: "I have always been a critic of government policy. I was in government for more than five years. Before that I was a critic."

He is among many individuals not allowed to travel to the United States because the US government determined that he had worked to undermine democracy in Zimbabwe.

He was previously Minister of Information and Publicity from 2000 to 2005 and again from 2013 to 2015.

As ZANU-PF spokesman, he described the 2000 election, in which the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) won a large minority of seats, as a "wake up call" and a "reality check for us".

During his 2000 to 2005 tenure, he crafted and defended, helped by Patrick Chinamasa, the Broadcasting Services Act (BSA) (2001), the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (Commercialisation) Act (2003), the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) (2002), the Public Order and Security Act (2002), 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."

Since being expelled from government, he has denied and rejected outright that he was the architect of these laws.

As Minister of Information, Moyo fought personal and government battles with the media from July 2000 until 2005, when he was expelled from ZANU-PF.

He beamed with pleasure and satisfaction when Chief Justice Gubbay resigned after being threatened by Joseph Chinotimba and company.

It was aimed at contesting one of the two vice-presidential seats after the recent death of Simon Muzenda on 20 September 2003, seen as a stepping stone to the presidency in light of Mugabe's presumed retirement 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.

In the lead-up 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.

He was elected to the House of Assembly of Zimbabwe as an independent candidate in 2005 and 2008.

He is considered the core architect of the AIPPA and POSA restrictive legislation.

He was raised by his mother, in absentia of the father.

His father's name was Melusi Job Mlevu.

This philanthropy increased during the days leading up to the March 2005 parliamentary election, a fact that critics feel made his win for the parliamentary seat in the area inevitable.

The subsequent decision to set aside the Tsholotsho seat in the 2005 parliamentary election 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.

In October 2006 Moeletsi Mbeki, younger brother of former South African President Thabo Mbeki, and Witwatersrand University separately applied for an order to have Jonathan Moyo jailed the next time he visited South Africa.

On 19 November 2017, Moyo was expelled from ZANU–PF by the party's central committee.

Other prominent G40 politicians, including Grace Mugabe, Saviour Kasukuwere, Patrick Zhuwao, Ignatius Chombo, Walter Mzembi, Shadreck Mashayamombe, Makhosini Hlongwane, Innocent Hamandishe, Samuel Undenge, and Sarah Mahoka were also expelled from the party.

Moyo fled the country after his removal, and from his unknown location threatened bloodshed if Mugabe was not restored to power.

Even while a cabinet minister, Moyo was charged with corruption, and following his ouster investigations resumed.

The main charges are that Moyo improperly used Zimdef (Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund) funds for political patronage in his home district of Tsholotsho.

In his defense, Moyo claimed that he did not convert the money for his own use, and that Tsholotsho, being one of the poorest Zimbabwean districts, deserved the largess.

His philanthropy, including scholarship programs and support for sport over many years, has earned Moyo a respected place in Tsholotsho, his family area.

As of 2018 he was still under indictment in Kenya.