Tichaona Jokonya
Encyclopedia
Dr Tichaona Joseph Benjamin Jokonya (December 27, 1938 June 24, 2006) was a Zimbabwe
an politician, civil servant and diplomat.
and attended Lourdes Mission and Kutama Secondary School before training as a primary schoolteacher. After six years he was promoted to be Headmaster of Badza Primary School. While at work he continued to study for qualifications by post, passing GCE
O and A levels, and then went to the University of Rhodesia
.
Jokonya left the country, fearing that he would be detained. After travelling through Botswana
, and Zambia
he settled in Nairobi
, Kenya
where he enrolled at the University for a History degree.
Jokonya was a good student and was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship for a postgraduate degree at the University of Sussex
School of African Studies in 1968, at which he wrote a dissertation on military intervention in politics in Africa. He followed this with a thesis on colonial land policy in Malawi
, and went on to the University of London
's Institute of Education
where he was awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Education
in 1971. He taught in Birmingham for six years in the 1970s. In January 2002, he received an MA in Government and Politics, and a Certification in International Law and Diplomacy at St. John's University in New York.
. As such he was also permanent representative to the Organisation of African Unity.
Dr Jokonya returned from this post to be Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Political Affairs in 1988, and took the additional role of Secretary for Foreign Affairs in 1990. He became concerned about expenditure on diplomatic missions and set them spending targets, while also pressing for returns to Zimbabwe through increased exports; he set up a statistical monitoring system to make sure the expected benefits were being delivered.
in Geneva
, and from 1999 he was promoted to work at the UN headquarters in New York. He was a personal representative of President Robert Mugabe
to the G-15 developing countries movement. However, the latter part of his term saw him defending Zimbabwe against attempts by some European countries to impose sanctions arising out of their opposition to Zimbabwean land reform policies.
Dr Jokonya was a personal beneficiary of the land reform, being allocated three formerly white-owned farms. In 2003, he was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, an appointment inspired by the need to improve the foreign currency earning power of the Zimbabwean tourism market. He refocused marketing to seek tourists from China
, France
and South Africa
instead of the United States
, United Kingdom
and Germany
, saying "It is wrong to send attaches to countries which we are fighting against". His term saw a rapid increase in the number of tourists coming to Zimbabwe from Asia.
, Dr Jokonya tried to reach out to media sources which were less friendly to the Zimbabwe government. However, he frequently suggested that journalists should remember their patriotism, and was highly critical of those who wrote stories critical of Zimbabwe government policies for foreign media. According to Jan Raath in The Times
, he described them as traitors and then said "You know what the end of a traitor is? Death." http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,6-2244287,00.html
On taking up his office, Dr Jokonya offered regular meetings with journalists to discuss their coverage. He told them "I would want to make presentations to them on various subjects and one area I would want to deliver a paper on is on human rights because this term has been viewed from an Anglo-Saxon perspective."
He worked to restructure Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings, which had been created as an umbrella company when the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation was split up. In the week before he died he announced that the multitude of companies would be merged into two (Zimbabwe Television Services and Zimbabwe Radio Services) with ZBH having one group Chief Executive Officer and two managing directors. He was found dead in his hotel room on June 24, 2006.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
an politician, civil servant and diplomat.
Early life
Jokonya was born in the Charter District, since renamed ChikombaChikomba
Chikomba is a district of Zimbabwe. Chikomba has a high number of land mines in its areas. Chikomba has applied for elevation from district to town status...
and attended Lourdes Mission and Kutama Secondary School before training as a primary schoolteacher. After six years he was promoted to be Headmaster of Badza Primary School. While at work he continued to study for qualifications by post, passing GCE
General Certificate of Education
The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...
O and A levels, and then went to the University of Rhodesia
University of Zimbabwe
The University of Zimbabwe in Harare, is the oldest and largest university in Zimbabwe. It was founded through a special relationship with the University of London and it opened its doors to its first students in 1952. The university has ten faculties offering a wide variety of degree programmes...
.
Academic career
In 1965 Jokonya became more involved in politics and was appointed as Secretary for Political Affairs by the National Union of Zimbabwe Students. The NUZS supported majority rule and after the Unilateral Declaration of IndependenceUnilateral Declaration of Independence (Rhodesia)
The Unilateral Declaration of Independence of Rhodesia from the United Kingdom was signed on November 11, 1965, by the administration of Ian Smith, whose Rhodesian Front party opposed black majority rule in the then British colony. Although it declared independence from the United Kingdom it...
Jokonya left the country, fearing that he would be detained. After travelling through Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
, and Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
he settled in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
where he enrolled at the University for a History degree.
Jokonya was a good student and was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship for a postgraduate degree at the University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
School of African Studies in 1968, at which he wrote a dissertation on military intervention in politics in Africa. He followed this with a thesis on colonial land policy in Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
, and went on to the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
's Institute of Education
Institute of Education
The Institute of Education is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom specialised in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It is the largest education research body in the United Kingdom, with...
where he was awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Education
Postgraduate Certificate in Education
The Postgraduate Certificate in Education is a one-year course in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for undergraduate degree holders that allows them to train to be a teacher....
in 1971. He taught in Birmingham for six years in the 1970s. In January 2002, he received an MA in Government and Politics, and a Certification in International Law and Diplomacy at St. John's University in New York.
Return to Zimbabwe
With the advent of majority rule, Dr Jokonya returned and was employed as a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, specialising in modern British and European history. However, he was swiftly recruited to be part of the new ZANU PF government as deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Recreation in 1980. In 1983 Dr Jokonya was appointed as Zimbabwean ambassador to EthiopiaEthiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. As such he was also permanent representative to the Organisation of African Unity.
Dr Jokonya returned from this post to be Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Political Affairs in 1988, and took the additional role of Secretary for Foreign Affairs in 1990. He became concerned about expenditure on diplomatic missions and set them spending targets, while also pressing for returns to Zimbabwe through increased exports; he set up a statistical monitoring system to make sure the expected benefits were being delivered.
United Nations
In 1992 Dr Jokonya became permanent representative to the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, and from 1999 he was promoted to work at the UN headquarters in New York. He was a personal representative of President Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
to the G-15 developing countries movement. However, the latter part of his term saw him defending Zimbabwe against attempts by some European countries to impose sanctions arising out of their opposition to Zimbabwean land reform policies.
Dr Jokonya was a personal beneficiary of the land reform, being allocated three formerly white-owned farms. In 2003, he was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, an appointment inspired by the need to improve the foreign currency earning power of the Zimbabwean tourism market. He refocused marketing to seek tourists from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
instead of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, saying "It is wrong to send attaches to countries which we are fighting against". His term saw a rapid increase in the number of tourists coming to Zimbabwe from Asia.
Information Minister
Following the 2005 election, Dr Jokonya was appointed Minister of Information. In contrast to the previous Minister Jonathan MoyoJonathan Moyo
Jonathan Nathaniel Moyo is a controversial political figure in Zimbabwe. He was Minister of Information from 2000 to 2005 and is currently a Member of Parliament. He is considered the core architect of AIPPA and POSA....
, Dr Jokonya tried to reach out to media sources which were less friendly to the Zimbabwe government. However, he frequently suggested that journalists should remember their patriotism, and was highly critical of those who wrote stories critical of Zimbabwe government policies for foreign media. According to Jan Raath in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, he described them as traitors and then said "You know what the end of a traitor is? Death." http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,6-2244287,00.html
On taking up his office, Dr Jokonya offered regular meetings with journalists to discuss their coverage. He told them "I would want to make presentations to them on various subjects and one area I would want to deliver a paper on is on human rights because this term has been viewed from an Anglo-Saxon perspective."
He worked to restructure Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings, which had been created as an umbrella company when the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation was split up. In the week before he died he announced that the multitude of companies would be merged into two (Zimbabwe Television Services and Zimbabwe Radio Services) with ZBH having one group Chief Executive Officer and two managing directors. He was found dead in his hotel room on June 24, 2006.