UK bars Zim DJs

Two Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holding DJs have been barred from entering
the UK because of their alleged links to President Mugabe’s Zanu PF,
writes Gugu Ziyaphapha.

Bridget Gavanga and Kudzi Marudza, who both work for state-owned Power FM, were billed to perform at a number of shows for Zimbabweans exiled in the UK.

The two-week tour was organized by a Zimbabwean internet radio station, Zimnet Radio, which operates from the UK.

Gavanga, a journalist, also doubles up as artists’ manager for musicians under the Grammer Records label. The record company is owned by musician turned Zanu PF MP, Elias Musakwa.

Following Mugabe’s “victory” in his controversial one man run off presidential election, Britain has widened its travel ban list to include more people aligned to the Zanu PF regime.

Sport has also fallen victim to the visa sanctions with the latest causality being Zimbabwe’s national cricket team which was recently barred from touring England.
Grace Mugabe’s personal musician, Fungisai Zvakavapano has also been denied a visa to enter the UK.

Information Secretary George Charamba, who also doubles up as Mugabe’s spokesman, has also been added to UK’s travel sanctions list.

Meanwhile, UK-based Herald columnist and Mugabe supporter Peter Mavunga is being investigated by the Ministry of Justice. This comes after it emerged that Mavunga, who uses his column to attack Britain, America, the West and MDC, is a Zimbabwean who is being paid ₤25 thousand per annum by British taxpayers. He is employed by the Justice Ministry as a court probation officer.

Apart from attacking Britain, Mavunga has used his newspaper columns to claim that Mugabe’s run-off election victory is legitimate. He has also labeled MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and Zimbabwean asylum-seekers in the UK liars.

A spokesman of the Probation Services Department said: “These views have been expressed in a personal capacity; these are not the views of London Probation. We are looking into this as a matter of urgency.”

Mavunga went to Britain in the 1970s to study journalism and has never returned to Zimbabwe.