Online Reporter
Talent Chimutambgi
Hundreds of mourners, including journalists from across the country on Wednesday thronged the Nyarota homestead in Chakuma Village, Nyazura, to bid farewell to veteran journalist Geoff Nyarota.
Nyarota succumbed to colon cancer last Saturday at the age of 74.
The veteran journalist rose to prominence in the late 1980s when, as editor of the Chronicle, he exposed a vehicle scandal involving cabinet ministers and top government officials.
Journalists who attended the burial spoke glowingly about the late veteran journalist who left an indelible mark in the journalism fraternity.
Former Deputy Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, Kindness Paradza, said Nyarota was a fearless journalist who was very supportive of the profession.
“In Geoff Nyarota we have lost one of Zimbabwe’s fearless post-independence journalists who mentored most of our young men and women running our various media outlets today,” he said.
“He was one of the finest journalists to emerge in independent Zimbabwe, resulting in him winning local and international media freedom awards.”
Chronicle managing and production editor Isaac Waniwa said he benefited a lot from Nyarota’s mentorship with other journalists from various media houses.
“The late Nyarota mentored many journalists now working for both public and private media. I was employed by Nyarota straight from college and he was that Editor who insisted on accuracy and factual reporting,” said Waniwa.
“Nyarota did not hesitate to reward those who excelled in their work hence we have cases of photographers who were promoted from photography to senior reporters during his time. No story was too big for a reporter and as such during his time junior and senior reporters competed to write page one stories.”
Seasoned journalist Matthew Takaona described Nyarota as an experienced and professional media practitioner, adding that the attendance at his burial by fellow members was a testimony to his unwavering commitment.
“Geoff Nyarota is the pride of journalism in Zimbabwe and the huge attendance by members of the profession at his funeral testifies to this,” said Takaona.
“He was thoroughly professional, particular on facts, courageous and fair with both his sources and subjects.
“He had a Midas touch. Every newspaper he edited achieved record sales from the Chronicle, Financial Gazette to The Daily News. He is a journalism hero.”
Another veteran journalist who once worked under Nyarota during his time as the editor of the Chronicle, Tapfuma Machakaire, said Nyarota’s contribution to the media industry was unparalled.
“I worked with Geoff in the early eighties when he was Chronicle Editor and I was a reporter with the sister paper Sunday News. There was also Desmond Kumbuka who worked with Geoff from the eighties,” said Machaire.
Zimbabwe Union of Journalists secretary general Perfect Hlongwane described Nyarota as a professional journalist.
“In all the engagements we had, he would always emphasise on professionalism, fairness, accuracy and balance in every story,” he said.
“As a profession we have lost a man whose contribution to the profession as a practitioner and editor, as chairperson of the Information Media Panel of Inquiry and as an author cannot be taken lightly.”
Zimbabwe National Editors Forum’s national coordinator Njabulo Ncube highlighted that the overwhelming turnout at Nyarota’s burial was testament to the kind of man that the late journalist was.
“We are here to mourn one of us. The presence of journalists from across the divide is well appreciated. The unity is unparalleled because we were here to bury one of the doyens of Zimbabwe journalism.”
