The Zimbabwean media community is reeling from the sudden death of veteran freelance journalist and acclaimed videographer James Jemwa, who was killed in a hit-and-run accident in central Harare on Friday night.
Jemwa, whose fearless reporting earned him respect at home and abroad, was struck near the NSSA building along Second Street. His body was later identified at Parirenyatwa Hospital.
Confirming the tragedy, Mlondolozi Ndlovu, chairperson of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Harare Advocacy Committee, expressed deep sorrow. “I received a call from the police this morning saying that his body is at Parirenyatwa Hospital,” Ndlovu said. Fighting emotion, he recalled their last evening together: “What is painful is that we were together the previous evening, sharing laughs until around 7 PM. He was in a jovial mood. Little did we know that was the last time we would see him alive.”
The news of Jemwa’s death has sparked an outpouring of tributes from colleagues, media organisations, and civil society.
MISA Zimbabwe described him as “undaunted, principled, and driven by an unshakable belief in the public’s right to know. His lens captured the realities many sought to suppress.”
The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) remembered him as “a comrade in the trenches, who brought passion and integrity to every assignment. His loss is a profound blow to the entire journalistic fraternity.”
The Zimbabwe National Editors Forum (ZNEF) and the National Association of Freelance Journalists (NAFJ) both praised Jemwa’s professionalism and courage, urging fellow reporters to carry forward his legacy of truth-telling under difficult conditions.
Civil society leader Takura Zhangazha described him as a “composite journalist” who mastered filming, editing, and scripting. “He was one of Zimbabwe’s foremost go-to people in the difficult role of cameraman-journalist,” Zhangazha said, noting that Jemwa epitomised the holistic nature of modern journalism.
Fellow journalist Vivid Gwede painted a vivid portrait of Jemwa’s personality: “He was a cherished presence who will be missed. His deep voice, infectious laugh, and ability to critique comrades with humour and sincerity set him apart. His life’s vocation was to see and tell the truth — in its static or moving form — through the camera lens.”
Zimbabwean Journalists Mourn Loss of James Jemwa, Veteran Videographer Killed in Hit-and-Run
For more than two decades, Jemwa worked as a freelancer and fixer for international broadcasters, including Al Jazeera. His camera documented some of Zimbabwe’s most turbulent moments, from protests and political upheavals to daily struggles under economic decline. Colleagues hailed him as one of the nation’s finest visual storytellers, able to capture both the hardship and resilience of ordinary citizens.
His career was not without peril. During Robert Mugabe’s presidency, Jemwa faced repeated harassment and arrests for his work. On 27 June 2016, he was arrested while filming long queues outside banks in Harare, a sensitive subject during the cash shortages of that period. Barely two months later, he was detained again and spent a week at Chikurubi Maximum Prison alongside more than 60 protesters before being granted bail. Reports at the time suggested that he was assaulted by soldiers during detention.
A day before that imprisonment, Jemwa had been arrested with fellow journalists Garikai Chaunza, Christopher Mahove, Khumbulani Zamuchiya, and Edgar Gweshe while covering protests against then–Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko’s prolonged stay at a luxury hotel. They were only released following intervention by the Media Lawyers Network.
Despite such ordeals, Jemwa refused to be silenced. He remained inseparable from his camera, which he described as both his shield and his weapon in the pursuit of truth. Even when his equipment was damaged during a protest in 2020 — an incident that left him devastated — his spirit remained unbroken. MISA Zimbabwe later replaced the camera nearly two years later, a moment Ndlovu described as deeply moving: “His face lit up when he received a new camera. It was like seeing a parent reunited with a lost child.”
Funeral arrangements are being finalised, with contributions to support the bereaved family coordinated through the Zimbabwe Film Industry Development Platform.
For colleagues and admirers, Jemwa’s death represents more than the loss of a friend and mentor — it is a blow to Zimbabwe’s fragile media space. His relentless pursuit of truth, often at the risk of imprisonment or violence, leaves behind a powerful legacy for younger journalists committed to press freedom.
“James never compromised on the truth,” said one colleague. “He believed journalism was about giving voice to the voiceless, even when it meant standing in harm’s way.”
In life, Jemwa embodied courage, resilience, and integrity. In death, he has left a void that will be hard to fill — but also a legacy that will inspire future generations of Zimbabwean journalists to continue telling the stories that matter, no matter the cost.
Source- ZimEye
