Against the Grain by Geoffrey Nyarota
Review of Memoir by Former Zimbabwean Newspaper Editor
Nov 15, 2009
Against The Grain is an account of the author’s life as a young boy in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, and his experiences as a school boy at a mission school and charts his experiences of the war of liberation and meteoric rise to newspaper editor in independent Zimbabwe.
Geoffrey Nyarota graduated from the multi-racial University of Central Africa and became a secondary school teacher in the Eastern Highlands, his homeland. He lived a tranquil and contented and somewhat prosperous existence, got married and had a son.
Under Fire in Rhodesia
In 1976 he became a proud owner of an eleven year old 1965 Ford Cortina GT. Eager to show off his car to his town based relatives, he picked them up from Nyazura Station on New Year’s Eve 1977. He was stopped by policemen spoiling for a fight. Sensing their jealous Nyarota sped from the scene. This action helped set him on a collision course with the police.
Nyarota could not drive to Nyarota village due to a flooded stream so he left his car hidden in a maize field in a neighbouring village.
That night guerrillas of the zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (Zanla) attacked Nyazura police station. Suspicion fell on the author. His hidden car was used as proof of his culpability. He was tortured and thrown into prison.
After his release from prison Nyarota went back to teaching. He witnessed violence against villagers perpetrated by both sides. He contributed materially for the struggle and bought food and clothing items for guerrillas who had nothing but AK47s. As the war escalated Regina Coeli was closed and Nyarota was jobless.
He went to Harare and trained to become a journalists under a cadetship programme ran by the Rhodesian Printing and Publishing Company (RP&P). He cruised through the training programme with distinction and joined the Herald at a lower salary than he was paid as a teacher. But Nyarota did not mind as he considered this an investment for the future.
The Willowgate Scandal
Nyarota rose rapidly in his profession due to his aptitude and application, but also due to the departure of white journalists en masse following Zimbabwe’s independence. Following a stint as editor of the Umtali Post, which he renamed the Manica Post, Nyarota was appointed editor of The Chronicle in Bulwayo in 1983. Previously owned by RP&P, it was now a government newspaper.
Nyarota came to national attention in 1988 after exposing what became known as the Willowgate scandal.
The country was gripped by foreign currency shortages. Government discouraged car imports and put in place a scheme whereby ministers could obtain vehicles for personal use from Willowgate Motor Industries (WMI). However, WMI did not assemble enough cars to meet local demand. Taking advantage of the situation, some ministers used their power to get several cars which they sold to the public, mainly their connections, at extortionate prices.
The sensational news stories claimed the life of senior Minister Maurice Nyagumbo and the careers of some government ministers. Nyarota was relieved from his position as editor and given an office job. He left government and became editor of the Financial Gazette, a privately owned financial weekly, before founding the Daily News.
The paper was accused of being an opposition mouthpiece for expressing views contrary to ruling part and government policy and exposing the political violence that permeated Zimbabwean society following widespread commercial farm invasions in 2000.
Despite his stellar career, Nyarota did not report on the Gukurahundi atrocities. In hindsight he noted that when Mugabe presided over the bloodletting of Ndebele villagers in the early 80’s, he could do nothing wrong in the eyes of the West and the world. Nyarota did not realise then that the man and the revolution he had supported had severe flaws from the beginning.
From his own experiences and opinions presented by various Mugabe watchers, Nyarota concludes that Mugabe never changed. He was brutal from the time he ascended to the presidency of Zanu. Only those on the receiving end of his brutality changed over time. When he perceived Nkomo as a threat he attacked Ndebele villagers. Since that time he has targeted other sections of the population culminating in the invasion of white commercial farms.
Death of Press Freedom in Zimbabwe
Geoffrey Nyarota was considered a threat and was put in prison under a new law passed to muzzle the press. He was spared from death when an assassin developed cold feet and confessed everything.
Nyarota was fired from the Daily News by the new executive chairman of the board whose shady dealings he had exposed previously. The Daily News was banned when it failed to register under a new legislation requiring all newspapers to do so.
Nyarota now lives in America.
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