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Prof Moyo

Felex Share Senior Reporter
HIGHER and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo yesterday failed to substantiate his claims that Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Constantino Guveya Chiwenga did not write the thesis for his doctorate from the University of KwaZulu Natal.

Over the past two days, our news crew had been calling, texting and e-mailing Prof Moyo to substantiate his claims without success, and yesterday had to publicly post questions on his Twitter timeline asking him to respond to the queries, but he instead chose to retweet responses posted by his supporters before launching a tirade against The Herald through the New Zimbabwe.Com website.

“These people (The Herald) have no shame at all, they gave Chiwenga acres and acres of space to, without any shred of evidence to support his false and defamatory allegations calling me an enemy of the state, a homosexual, a war deserter, Baba Jukwa and blatantly lying that in my books I wrote that I would destroy zanu-pf from within and worse lying through his teeth that I got him (Chiwenga) sentenced to death at Mgagao in March 1975 when I was nowhere near Mgagao throughout 1975 let alone in March 1975.”

Read more:

• Gen Chiwenga reads riot act 
• Call to censure Jonathan Moyo
• Fire Prof Moyo: War vets
• Command Agric: OPC exposes Moyo
• EDITORIAL COMMENT: Of those who live in glass houses
• Moyo’s Mgagao Camp defence falls short
• Moyo’s ‘loyalist’ claims dismissed

“Now they want me to back allegations that Chiwenga had his UKZN dissertation written for him,” Prof Moyo told New Zimbabwe.com. “Did they ask Chiwenga to back up his nonsensical allegation that in my books I wrote about destroying zanu-pf from within? Have they asked him to give supporting evidence about any of the unlawful threats & defamatory allegations made against me by Chiwenga in the Herald?” Prof Moyo charged.

Prof Moyo’s claims about Mgagao have since been dismissed by Air Marshall Perrance Shiri, who was director of training at Mgagao, and Lieutenant-Colonel (Retired) Joel Samuel Siyangapi Muzhamba, who was a senior commander at Mgagao.

Academics yesterday weighed saying Prof Moyo should substantiate his claims as he was putting a number of people and the institution, UKZN into disrepute.

Prof Moyo, who was peeved by an interview the ZDF Commander granted The Herald in which he called Prof Moyo to order for denigrating Government’s highly successful command agriculture programme, on Sunday claimed Dr Chiwenga was not the author of his doctorate.

Said Prof Moyo in a statement on Sunday: “Finally, I’m happy that Chiwenga wants pre- and post-independence disclosures about who was who, who did what and so forth. That’s good. Meanwhile, I take that to mean he wants the disclosure of who contributed what to his doctorate and who really wrote his KZN PhD. Again, the Shona wisdom that kunyarara kuri nani pane kutaura, applies.”

Yesterday, Prof Moyo posted part of the “dissertation” he claimed belonged to Dr Chiwenga which had grammatical errors. The so called dissertation appeared to be a draft thesis in which Prof Moyo was also mentioned as having been one of the informany interviewees.

Veteran educationist Dr Caiphas Nziramasanga said Prof Moyo should back up his claims. “You cannot just challenge someone’s academic qualifications without proof,” he said.

“You have to have proof that he is not the person behind that qualification. But if he is there, records are there and that he graduated then you cannot say that person is not the one who is behind the qualification or the owner of that qualification.”

He said Dr Chiwenga had a legal right to sue Prof Moyo. “The courts will, following the normal laws of the nation about character assassination and so forth, look at that matter,” Dr Nziramasanga said.

“On the other side, you cannot accuse someone unless you are sure. You will need to investigate first and an investigation normally takes a number of perspectives. If ones has doubts, he can write to the institution concerned and make a request for these details but normally that institution will say we can only give information to the owner, the person who graduated from them not any other person. Qualifications earned by a person in an institution are a deeply rooted private matter. They cannot and should not be misused by another person. If you damage the character of a person unnecessarily you will be charged, that is a serious matter before the law. You cannot do that unless you have permission from that person to say whatever you want to say.”

A respected academic, who is a former UKZN student who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from Prof Moyo concurred. “The institution mentioned is a legitimate one. That institution itself, if you make such allegations and it comes to their attention, might also be forced to institute investigations to clear their image because they wouldn’t want to be seen as issuing out results clandestinely even to people who were not writing their work. Prof Moyo is putting into question so many people including supervisors and examiners, in fact the whole system of academic merit and excellence. He should be able to substantiate his claims.”

Another academic and political analyst Mr Tafadzwa Mugwadi said: “If anyone’s academic credentials should be questioned, especially given the current obtaining attitudinal circus, character and moral ignorance, then Professor Moyo should be the only one answerable.

“It is an established rule of academic integrity and probity that one substantiate claims if he/ she doubts how an individual was academically rewarded especially when it comes to academics with titles like Dr Chiwenga. I feel for those who over rely on his tomfoolery statements because one day he will wake up and say ‘’God has died’’ in typical Prophet Madungwe fashion and some will believe him. What he was supposed to substantiate are his claims of being a half war veteran which were dismissed by decorated war commanders simply because they are factually, historically and practically a blue lie. His twitter rants depict classical stupidity and shameless idiocy that is however beyond redemption. Unfortunately, it puts to shame, decorated academics who share the title of ‘’professor’’ in the eyes of the public.”

Lawyer Mr Tendai Toto said Professor Moyo was opening himself to “undesirable consequences.” “If there is no proof in what the Professor says and continues to utter at many social media platforms and public media; then he is opening himself up to delictual liability and undesirable consequences in his backyard,” he said.

“On the face of it, the statements by Professor Moyo are not only provocative but are also defamatory and insulting. It remains the prerogative of those provoked, insulted and defamed to protect themselves in terms of the law. I have no doubt that the insults, provocation and defamatory utterances (if they are) will end up getting adjudicated upon in the courts too soon.”

Prof Moyo has been on a campaign against Command Agriculture which he derided as “Ugly-Culture’’. This is despite the fact that Command Agriculture falls under the Food and Nutrition Cluster of Zim-Asset.

At the three Presidential Youth Interface Rallies he addressed in Marondera, Mutare and Masvingo recently, President Mugabe hailed the programme describing it as “beautiful”.