Trevor Vusumuzi Ncube is a Zimbabwean entrepreneur and newspaper publisher now living in South Africa and publishing in both countries. As an editor and publisher, he was a critical voice in media of former Zimbabwean PresidentRobert Mugabe and his government.
In 1989 Trevor Ncube became assistant editor at The Financial Gazette and was named its executive editor in 1991. In 2002, Ncube became the owner of the Mail & Guardian He currently publishes South Africa'sMail & Guardian weekly newspaper, part of The Guardian group of newspapers and in Zimbabwe, sister publications The Zimbabwe Independent, The Sunday Standard and NewsDay.
Press freedom in Zimbabwe
On 10 December 2005, Trevor Ncube had his passport taken away by Mugabe's government, in the first application of restrictive press freedom laws. The passport was later returned after the seizure was exposed to be illegal. The government of Zimbabwe tried again, unsuccessfully, to strip him of his citizenship on the basis that his father was born in Zambia. The attempt was seen by many as an attempt to close his newspapers which are highly critical of the government of Zimbabwe's President Mugabe. Zimbabwean law does not allow foreigners to own newspapers. As a result of the political crisis, journalists fled the country, and Ncube moved to South Africa.
SABC blacklist
The South African Broadcasting Corporation blacklisted critics of Mugabe and Zimbabwe's government—a list which included Trevor Ncube. The information came out of a report from a Pretoria-appointed commission of inquiry. Later, a South African court—the South Gauteng High Court—ruled that Snuki Zikalala, SABC managing director, in overseeing the news operation had acted in the interests of South African PresidentThabo Mbeki and manipulated news about Zimbabwe, including the silencing of critics.
Awards
1994—Trevor Ncube was named Zimbabwean Editor of the Year.
2007—International Publishers Association Freedom Prize Award
2008—German Africa Award. The German Africa Foundation presented Ncube for his dedication for press freedom, human rights and democracy in Zimbabwe and the whole of Southern Africa.
