The Ghost of Journalism: tracking the Legacy of Li...

The Ghost of Journalism: tracking the Legacy of Lies

Philemon Jambaya

Zim Now Editor

In the turbulent world of Zimbabwean football, a shadow has long loomed over the pitch and the boardroom. It's a shadow cast not by a towering defender or a controversial referee, but by a self-styled journalist whose pen, instead of illuminating the truth, has consistently been wielded as a weapon of factionalism and defamation. Hope Chizuzu, a name once associated with sports commentary, has become synonymous with a trail of fabrications so long and twisted that it begs the question: is he a reporter or a serial pretender?

The chronicle of Chizuzu's alleged misdeeds reads like a cautionary tale for the digital age. It's a story of a man who, according to a litany of complaints and lawsuits, repeatedly blurred the lines between commentary and outright falsehood, leaving a wake of legal battles, official reprimands, and damaged reputations.

The story begins in 2017 when Chizuzu was reportedly suspended by the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) for the audacious act of impersonating a FIFA official. His alleged misconduct was so severe that ZIFA felt compelled to communicate the sanction to FIFA, CAF, and COSAFA, essentially blacklisting him from the international football community. This wasn't an isolated incident; it was the first sign of a deeper pattern.

That same year, his alleged fabrications moved from persona to print. Chizuzu is said to have published a story claiming then-ZIFA president Philip Chiyangwa was facing disciplinary hearings in Egypt. The truth, as it turned out, was far less scandalous: Chiyangwa had simply been invited by his Egyptian counterparts. This, according to the provided text, was no mistake; it was a deliberate act designed to smear reputations and stoke controversy.

The pattern continued to unfold. In 2019, his reporting allegedly led to two high-profile lawsuits. ZIFA executive Philemon Machana sued Chizuzu for a staggering US$2 million over what he claimed were defamatory articles. The allegations, published in June 2019 and again in September 2021, accused Machana of embezzling US$750,000 and chartering a plane for his girlfriend. These were, in Machana's view, "grotesque lies" that necessitated judicial redress.

Simultaneously, ZIFA itself filed a lawsuit, demanding US$6 million from Chizuzu and Norton MP Temba Mliswa for allegedly publishing a series of "unsubstantiated and malicious stories" about the association. The repeated legal challenges paint a picture of an individual whose reporting had crossed the line from critical to allegedly criminal.

By 2022, the long arm of the law finally closed in. On September 29, police arrested Chizuzu on allegations of publishing falsehoods against officials of Dynamos Football Club. He was charged under Section 164C of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, a legal provision now linked to the Cyber and Data Protection Act. The charge was for "transmitting false data messages intended to cause harm." This was, for many, the natural culmination of years of what has been described as "cyber lies, defamatory postings, and smear campaigns disguised as reporting."

Even after facing legal and criminal charges, the provided text claims Chizuzu's "appetite for division remains undiminished." The report alleges he has recently targeted Highlanders FC, using his platform to spread "factional lies" and launch personal attacks against respected figures like Ezra “Tshisa” Sibanda and Dumisani Mankunzini. Mankunzini has reportedly filed a formal police report against Chizuzu under the Cyber and Data Protection Act, accusing him of online harassment and contravening the very laws designed to protect citizens from digital abuse.

Chizuzu's defenders have often cast him as a "fearless journalist." But the provided text argues that journalism requires facts, proof, and responsibility. What Chizuzu is accused of is not journalism, but vandalism. His alleged actions—impersonating officials, fabricating stories, and publishing defamatory content—have led to suspensions, multi-million dollar lawsuits, and criminal charges.