Media mogul Ncube rendered stateless

By Violet Gonda
8 January 2007

Newspaper tycoon Trevor Ncube has been rendered stateless as a result of “backward citizenship” laws in Zimbabwe. The authorities in Zimbabwe have refused to renew his passport and stripped him of his citizenship on the grounds that his father was born in Zambia. Ncube told SW Radio Africa that this was done despite the fact that he had renounced his father’s Zambian citizenship and taken an oath to become a Zimbabwean citizen.

He said when he tried to complete the process to renew his passport he was told that the Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede had taken over the case. The latest action by the authorities means at present Ncube is neither a citizen of Zimbabwe nor Zambia.

The publisher of the Mail & Guardian in South Africa and the Zimbabwe Independent and The Standard newspapers said; “In October last year I went to the Zambian embassy in Harare and I paid to have the so-called renunciation done. I did that process which I hated – I didn’t like it because I really think it’s un-necessary.”

Although Ncube was born in Zimbabwe, the authorities say he is a Zambian citizen by descent. They claim he did not renounce his Zambian citizenship as required by law. But the publisher said when he took his papers to the authorities he was told the Registrar General would be handling his case. “I have renounced my so-called Zambian citizenship now Tobaiwa Mudede is taking away my citizenship. As I am speaking to you, you are absolutely right – I am stateless, and it’s so unfair to be put in the situation that I am being put through. What for?”

Ncube believes he is being denied his birthright and that there are people in the system who see him as a stumbling block to what they are trying to do. The publisher said this is basically to close down the little democratic space that is still being offered by the Zimbabwe Independent and Standard newspapers.

Although state media reported the government-appointed Media and Information Commission will not close down his newspapers on the grounds of his citizenship status, Ncube said the intention is to harass, intimidate and terrify him.

His newspapers have been exposing the Mugabe regime. It was his papers that disclosed that state agents were involved in the purchase of the weekly Financial Gazette and papers owned by another publisher Ibbo Mandaza. Recently the papers were also in the forefront of exposing corruption involving senior government officials at ZISCO. Ncube said; “It is these kinds of issues that the authorities in Zimbabwe wish were not published. As a result they see me as a the person responsible for these things…this is an attempt in my view to soften me.”

Analysts say what this actually does is expose the backward citizenship laws in Zimbabwe that are primitive and need a major overhaul. Ncube said the act was introduced to disenfranchise farm labourers during the run-up to the 2002 elections. He said they were seen as MDC supporters and found as an easy target because the majority of them had parents from Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi.

It is also reported that the law was introduced in order to target white children. Whites are seen as foreigners by descent and the law would make it easier for the regime to deny them citizenship. The same law has seen human rights campaigner Judith Todd being stripped of her citizenship. It is now being used to abuse and target perceived enemies of the Mugabe regime.

Ncube added; “We are very backward looking in this generation where citizenship is used to enhance the skills base of a country. This is a very retrogressive what we are doing as Zimbabweans.”

We could not get a comment from the Registrar General’s office.