Jestina Mukoko

Background

Jestina Mungarehwa Mukoko was born in Zimbabwe on 22 March 1967. She was once married but lost her husband in 1995 and they had a son together.^[2]

Educational Background

Mukoko holds a bachelor of Science in Politics and Administration from the University of Zimbabwe. She was also the 2010 fellow at the Oak Institute for International Human Rights at Colby College in Maine. In 2012, she joined other mid-career professionals as a Draper Hills Summer Fellow on Democracy and Development Program at Stanford University.^[1]

Career in Journalism

For over a decade in Zimbabwe, Jestina Mukoko was a popular news anchor and Journalist with the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.

Human Rights Activism

During most of her career in activism, Jestina Mukoko has locked horns several times with the police. Mukoko runs Zimbabwe Peace Project which is a Non-Governmental Organisation that seeks to monitor as well as document political violence in the country. She has been involved with the documentation of the Matabeleland massacres in which she is said to have interviewed women and children on their experiences during the massacres.^[2] She was quoted as having said that her experience in Matebeleland showed her that she was more motivated to work for human rights than as a news anchor. In an interview, she stated that

I thought broadcast journalism was my second skin. My transition happened in 2000 when I was on a task in the southern part of Zimbabwe as a broadcast journalist. In interviews with survivors of the Matabeleland massacres of the 1980s made up mainly of women and children, their harrowing experiences became secondary trauma on my part and left me with an indelible mark, which is a keen interest in human rights.^[2]

Through the Zimbabwe Peace Project, Jestina and others have created a network of peace monitors throughout the country which compiles reports on trends of political violence in the country which can then be used by various

stakeholders.^[2]

Abduction in 2008

On 3 December 2008 Mukoko was abducted by state agents and subjected to torturing. Her whereabouts were not known for at least three weeks with police ignoring a High Court order to look for her.

Her whereabouts were only made public on December 24 when the state-run newspaper, The Herald revealed that she had appeared before a magistrate charged with recruiting people for military training to try to overthrow the government.

Jestina was released on stringent bail conditions in March 2009. On 21 September 2009, the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe ordered a permanent stay of criminal proceedings against Jestina Mukoko.

Mukoko later recounted the events:

I was not wearing anything other than a nightdress, I had no undergarments and other personal and medical requirements. Immediately, a woolen jersey was put across my face, covering my eyes, nose and mouth, as a result, I had problems breathing and almost suffocated. First, I was assaulted underneath my feet with a rubber-like object which was at least one metre long ... Later, I was informed to raise my feet onto a table, and the other people in the room started to assault me underneath my feet. This assault lasted for at least five to six minutes. They took a break and then continued again with the beatings.^[3]

After being asked several questions pertaining to her work with non-governmental organisations and the civil society, she is said to have been blindfolded again.

We drove for about two hours. I do not know where we went but I had been warned that since I refused to co-operate they were going to hand me over to some people and they could not protect me. One of the interrogators said I was going to suffer, and I will have to make a choice of either becoming a witness to these alleged cases of military training or I become extinct as no prosecutions were to be held.^[3]

Other Commitments

Jestina Mukoko is also involved with many other non-governmental organisations. She is a board member for Zimbabwe Election Support Network, the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, and the Institute for a Democratic Alternative for Zimbabwe^[1]

Awards

• Laureate of the City of Weimar (Germany) Human Rights Prize (2009)
• U.S. Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award (2010)
• NANGO (National Association of Nongovernmental Organizations) Peace Award
• French National Order of the Legion of Honor award (2011)^[1]

References