John Paradza

Service/Career

Businesses

As of April 2019, Paradza had a fleet of commuter omnibuses (Kombis) that ply the Gutu-Harare route. Other interests in transport and mining. ^[1]

Political

December 2021, Paradza elected Zanu PF Masvingo provincial youth league chairman. ^[2]

5 May 2022, John Paradza elected Zanu PF Deputy Secretary for Youth Affairs during the 7th Youth League elective conference in Harare. He replaced Tendai Chirau who was the acting Deputy Secretary for Youth Affairs.^[3]

Following the 23-24 August 2023 elections, President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced his new cabinet on 11 September 2023. Mangaliso Ngobizitha Ndlovu made Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife with John Paradza as deputy.

Events

2018 Elections Text Messages

In July 2018, Masvingo lawyer, Owen Mafa of Mutendi, Mudisi and Shumba Legal Practitioners sued the Zanu PF parliamentary candidate for his area, John Paradza and the Zanu PF presidential candidate Emmerson Mnangagwa. Mafa had received a personalised message from Zanu PF. The message solicited his vote for the Zanu PF parliamentary candidate for his area and the party's presidential candidate.

Mafa approached the High Court suing Econet, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), ZANU PF and John Paradza. Econet was the first respondent and Paradza was the fourth respondent.

Part of Mafa's submission read:

"On July 7, 2018, I was puzzled to receive a message from the second and fourth respondent on my contact details that I had solely provided to the third respondent. The messages were sent on my mobile number wherein the second and fourth respondent were urging me to vote for them and their presidential candidate Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa. I had not at any time consented to the conduct of the second and fourth respondents. I am advised that the first respondent’s conduct of facilitating the conduct of second and fourth respondent contravenes the provisions of the Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Regulatory Circular on Unsolicited Bulk SMS) Regulatory Circular No. 2 of 2013 as read together with Section 4 of the Postal and Telecommunications Act Chapter 12.05 of 2000. The conduct of the respondents was therefore unlawful and should be declared as such."

Mafa was not suing Econet for giving Zanu PF access to his data or phone number but for permitting Zanu PF to send the message to him without him agreeing to be sent such messages. The lawyer refers to a regulatory circular issued by POTRAZ back in 2013 that prohibits mobile operators from sending or allowing the sending of bulk messages to users who have not agreed to receive them.

Paradza was not the only Zanu PF candidate who sent unsolicited text messages to individuals who never gave them their contact details. Some Zanu PF candidates said they were shocked to hear messages had gone out with their names soliciting for votes.

Zanu PF admitted to sending the messages saying they sent to their supporters who had attended meetings within their party cell structures. Some of the people who got the messages claimed to have never attended Zanu PF meetings.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) denied giving data to political parties. In their denial, ZEC suggested that Mobile Network Operators had this kind of data that they sell to third parties.

Econet issued a statement saying they do not sell nor give access to people’s data to any third parties except the telecoms regulator: POTRAZ which then issued their own statement reiterating that MNOs were not allowed to sell data to third parties.^[4]

Sexual Harassment Claims

Joseph Chinotimba, Tafanana Zhou, and John Paradza were reported for verbal abuse after they referred to some female MPs as prostitutes, among other words. ^[5]

On 22 November 2018, Lynette Karenyi raised a point of order as the leader of the MDC Alliance women’s assembly, complaining about the verbal abuse that she and another female MP Joana Mamombe had been subjected to. ^[6]

Political Violence Reports

In January 2022, Paradza was accused of using Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) officers to threaten a teacher identified as Batsiranayi Ngugama accusing him of being a security threat. Paradza accused him of poisoning people in Gutu West constituency by publishing “anti-government articles in various publications.

NewsDay published on 5 January 2022, quoted the teacher as having said:

"I wrote stories about inputs that were stolen by Zanu PF and another story of a cop who assaulted one of our teachers. Now Paradza is saying I’m a security threat, adding that if I don’t move out of his constituency, it would hinder him from winning elections. He said I should move out with my family. He has been threatening me verbally for a very long time. On December 30, he sent State agents at my place at night who ordered me to move out."

In response, John Paradza denied the allegations when interviewed by NewsDay on 4 January 2022, saying as an MP, he worked well with all teachers in his constituency. ^[7]

Philanthropy

He donated $117 000 worth of food, cement and blankets to Cyclone Idai victims whose homes were destroyed by the cyclone.^[1]

Further Reading

References