Eric Knight

• Frank Louis Knight who is the firstborn and a war veteran based in London
• Rita Knight Ritzau who is in Denmark
• Naddie Knight Mbeulani who in London
• Hilton Knight (late)

Knight's father re-married and sired

• Dereck Knight
• Maureen Knight Makomva
• Owen Knight
• Ayisha Knight Chitakunye

His father also had other children from previous relationships:

• Loveness Knight
• Goodwin Masimba Knight
• Bednock Knight
• Norman Knight
• Dugmore Knight
• Abigail Knight Mahaso^[2]

Children: Eric Knight has four children with his wife Martha. They are:

• Moira Knight
• Michael Knight^[3]
• Marcia Knight
• Malcom Knight^[1]

Extra Marital Affairs: In 2019, Eric Knight denied reports that he had fathered a child with a Small House. In a statement, Knight wrote:

Hello Zimbabwe!

Satan at it again for the umpteenth time! I’m told some person on social media who is cooking nice stories that she goes out with me and is expecting The General’s baby.

She has nicely cut out one of my many pictures off Facebook and blended it with some chats.

The phone number used is one of my numbers that people share with each other as they request us to participate in their functions

Please ignore that lunatic. I don’t even know who it is and where the person is.

These are the days of social media tomfoolery. Photoshop even voice projection is doctored nowadays.

God bless Zimbabwe! God bless Africa!

^[4]

In 2013, Eric Knight denied he was having a secret affair with a 19-year-old Harare school girl named Ayanda Shekede. Knight said he was "an extremely happily married man to an extremely beautiful woman, Martha Knight and with 4 wonderful kids." He claimed the article "was a plan by some old widow who resides in Leicester whom I made a mistake and befriended a few years ago, not knowing that the old evil woman had other thoughts."^[5]

In May 2019, Knight's daughter Moira commented on Eric Knight's affairs saying they had been going on for a while. In an interview with H-Metro, Moira said:

"It’s embarrassing what he did and this has been happening for a long time. It’s not the first time he has done this but I have just been quiet about for so many years over the things he has done to mom. It pains me a lot to hear my mom call me crying over my dad’s behaviour and to some extent this pressured me to react the way I did, I had to vent it out. My mother is in pieces right now and I am planning to visit the UK to be with her and spend some time with her. We spoke at length and deep and all I can say is, she is fed up with dad’s issues though she hasn’t made her final decision yet."

^[6]

Service/Career

Media

He was a radio presenter at Radio 2 which was renamed Radio Zimbabwe. Knight also presented the programme Ezomgido on ZTV. In 2020, Knight said he was going to launch a radio station Radio54 African Panorama Live.^[7]

He left British Airways and joined Sky TV. In 2018 he was named Customer Hero of the Year by Sky TV. ^[8][9]

Politics

In the 2013 Elections, (see A History of Zimbabwean Elections) Mbare returned to Parliament:

• Tendai Savanhu of Zanu PF with 14 764 votes or 55.08 percent,
• Eric Knight of MDC–T with 10 932 votes or 40.79 percent,
• Jabulani Charlie of MDC–N with 1 041 votes or 3.88 percent,
• 1 other with 66 votes or 0.25 percent.

Total 26 803 votes

Events

Joining Zanu PF

In 2013, there were reports that Knight had joined Zanu-PF. In a statement, Knight denied the reports saying he was stepping down from politics to pursue a career in broadcasting. He was quoted saying it was an ‘accident’ for him to be in politics.^[5]

He said he joined the MDC in September 2002 where he was the Information Secretary.^[1]

In 2018, publications reported again that Eric Knight had joined Zanu-PF's UK structures. Nick Mangwana confirmed that Knight had indeed joined Zanu-PF in the United Kingdom.^[10][11]

Joining CCC

In a letter addressed to him dated 17 February 2022, Eric Knight was expelled by the Zanu PF United Kingdom (UK) District following his decision to support Nelson Chamisa’s Citizens' Coalition for Change (CCC) party.

The letter read:

"Your attention is drawn to your Facebook post on 15th February 2022. The Zanu PF Party UK District respect your democratic choice, shifting allegiance and loyalty to the CCC as enshrined under Sections 58(1)(2) and (67)(1)(2) of Zimbabwe Constitution 2013.

Please be advised that in accordance with the Zanu PF Party Constitution Article 10, Section 80(5) any member who willingly joins and/ or support another political party has automatically expelled himself or herself from the party and ceases forthwith to be a bona fide member.

As such your membership to Zanu PF UK District has ceased immediately by operation of law."

^[12]

Praise For Emmerson Mnangagwa

On 28 July 2018, The Herald published a statement that was issued by Knight and Ezra Sibanda. In the joint statement, Knight and Sibanda praised Emmerson Mnangagwa whom they said had redefined the art of leadership. The statement read:

"As patriotic Zimbabweans, our passion has always been the desire to see our country recover and regain its status as one of the best nations in Africa. We have always dreamt of a nation that embraces constitutionalism in every sense, a nation that respects the rights of every citizen regardless of tribe or race, a Government that respects the laws of the land and, of course, Government that is committed to the empowerment of its citizenry through creation of opportunities.

It is common sense that as professional media practitioners, we have an important role to play as ever. History will point to the fact that we have always been part and parcel of the national media fabric, until such a time that the old system frustrated us after being ill advised by the same forces that misled the former president, leading to the Operation Restore Legacy.

It is not a secret either that we then joined the opposition eventually. Driven by our desire to fight the oppressive shenanigans of the old dispensation, we had to and we don’t regret that. We were opposing madness and not individuals, we were opposing a bad system as proponents of democracy.

We prayed and hoped that there would be change in Zimbabwe and thank God our prayers were answered. The new dispensation under President ED Mnangagwa is here. The President is preaching and already practising what we have been fighting for.

Peace, tolerance, freedom of speech, economic development, job creation, re-engagement with the international world which by the way is a massive step in this contemporary world that has become a global village. We asked ourselves, then what is there to oppose?,” the said in the joint statement.

To us, when opposition opposes even what is right for the country, then it is no longer opposition but selfishness and enemity. Zimbabwe does not need that but it needs a spirit of unity to prevail. The media should be a catalyst in ensuring such. It is indeed a new and fresh dispensation that we are in now.

ED has re-defined the art of leadership, just look around at how people are free to express themselves. Freedom of speech and freedom after speech were unheard of during the old dispensation.

We don’t subscribe to the dogma of opposing just for the sake of opposing. As professionals we are pleased with the efforts, honesty and work ethics of the new dispensation and every sensible Zimbabwean should be also. We all have an important role in the revival of Zimbabwe.

We want to see a reformed media landscape that will ensure that State and private media regain the confidence that they lost over the years. The new dispensation has all the ingredients for that.

Not only that, we are very much aware of the efforts at hand to revive industries, meaning sooner or later, the problem of unemployment will be resolved.

These and many others are the reasons we believe that fellow Zimbabweans must support the new dispensation, it’s not about individuals but a nation,” further reads the statement from the DJs.

Withstanding the foregoing, we would strongly appeal to fellow professionals in the media, private sector, medical professionals and all skilled citizens scattered across the world, it is time to consider working for your country . Do not dwell too much on the past. Your memory takes you backwards, your vision takes you forward. We will always be available to serve our country in an capacity. Under ED, it is indeed a new dispensation.”

^[13]

References