Ezra Tshisa Sibanda

Career

He was with the state-owned broadcaster from the 1990s until the early 2000s before he moved to the United Kingdom. Ezra Sibanda was popular for his show Ezemuli and Ngisakhumbula on Radio 2, now Radio Zimbabwe.

He also played on the programme Abancane Qha on the same station and once hosted Mutinhimhira Wemimhanzi/Ezomgido with Eric Knight. Sibanda was also a football radio commentator. He left the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation in 2001 and went to live in the United Kingdom.^[2]

Sibanda works to promote Zimbabwean music at a global platform through the Music Promotions Company Icons of Africa which promotes artists from Zimbabwe and Africa to perform in the UK.^[3]

Politics

On 29 May 2013, Ezra Tshisa Sibanda won the MDC-T Primary election to represent Vungu constituency.

Sibanda got 752 votes out of the 1000 cast votes, Mark Moyo received 245 while Senzeni Mpofu got 3.^[4] After he won the MDC-T primary elections there was a report that he was working with the MI6. The Sunday Mail claimed that an MI6 agent David Banks facilitated Sibanda's joining of the MDC-T at national level. The publication reported that Ezra Sibanda was positioning himself for a parliamentary seat in order to enhance his relationship with former Rhodesian agents. The newspaper claimed Sibanda sold secrets to his friends who included Conor Walsh, Derrick Smail and Geoff Hill.^[5]

Responding to the allegations, Sibanda said:

"I was shocked to read reports that I was working with the MI6 and have never met the people mentioned in that report. I thought with the revelations of the WikiLeaks, it was clear that spies are found in Zanu PF. What would the MI6 want from Zimbabwe anyway?"

^[2]

Praise For Emmerson Mnangagwa

On 28 July 2018, The Herald published a statement that was issued by Sibanda and Eric Knight. In the joint statement, Sibanda and Knight 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.”

^[6]

Football

In 2016, Ezra Tshisa Sibanda was one of five intermediaries or player agents who were accredited with the Zimbabwe Football Association.^[7] Sibanda is also a Highlanders Football Club life member and in 2019 he raised funds for the club. A total of US$ $1 567 was raised from the online initiative spearheaded by Sibanda which started on 9 September 2019 and had closed by October.^[8]

Philanthropy

He also works with an organisation called Zimbabwe Diaspora Focus Group (ZDFG) which has helped thousands of Zimbabweans based in the UK to get legal right to stay in that country. The ZDFG also works with the UK and Zimbabwean Government in areas of investments and development in Zimbabwe.^[3]

Ezra Sibanda Initiative

Sibanda established a foundation, the Ezra Tshisa Initiative to address education and issues of disadvantaged people in Zimbabwe. He also helped in raising Covid-19 funds for Bulawayo’s hospitals. By 2020, Sibanda said he had managed to sponsor 26 orphaned children with their school fees with three having graduated from the National University of Science and Technology (Nust).^[3]

References