Zimbabwe is mourning the loss of veteran journalist and human rights activist Geoffrey Nyarota, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 74 due to colon cancer.
Nyarota was widely recognized for his fearless journalism, particularly his efforts in exposing government corruption and launching The Daily News, which became Zimbabwe’s most influential independent newspaper.
Initially trained as a teacher—one of the few professions available to educated Black citizens during white minority rule in Rhodesia—Nyarota later transitioned into journalism. He rose to prominence in the late 1980s as editor of The Chronicle, where he uncovered a major vehicle scandal involving cabinet ministers and top government officials. The scandal led to the resignation of five ministers, one of whom later took his own life. However, Nyarota lost his job and was forced to leave the country.
In 1999, he co-founded The Daily News, a publication that provided a platform for dissenting voices and challenged government corruption. The paper quickly outsold the state-controlled Herald newspaper. However, Nyarota and his colleagues faced frequent arrests, and in 2001, the newspaper’s printing press was bombed. He resigned in 2002 due to differences with new management, and the paper was later shut down by the government in 2003 over licensing disputes.
That same year, Nyarota moved to the United States as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University and later ran The Zimbabwe Times, an online news platform. Upon returning to Zimbabwe in 2014, he chaired a government-backed panel on media ethics.
THE media fraternity was at the weekend plunged into mourning following the death of veteran journalist, former Chronicle Editor and Daily News founding Editor, Geoffrey Nyarota on Saturday.https://t.co/EXJHdnSjjH
— The Chronicle (@ChronicleZim) March 23, 2025
Tributes from the media fraternity have described him as a fearless journalist dedicated to informing and educating the public. Chronicle Editor Lawson Mabhena called him a legendary figure who was always willing to share his expertise. The Media Institute of Southern Africa said, “Nyarota slept, dreamt, breathed, and lived journalism.”
Nyarota received numerous international awards, including the Committee to Protect Journalists’ International Press Freedom Award in 2001. As he battled cancer, colleagues in the media launched a fundraising initiative to support his treatment.
He is survived by his wife, Ursula, and three children. His burial was scheduled for Wednesday.
