Contrary to social media reports insinuating that the 2020 edition of venerated late Vice President Joshua Nkomo memorial lecture will be held at his Matsheumhlope home in Bulawayo on April 18, organisers have said the event will, instead, be held at Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) on a date to be announced.
The Joshua Nkomo Legacy Foundation (JNLF) national coordinator Jabulani Hadebe discredited fliers posted on social media which indicated that the memorial lecture was going to be held in leafy Matsheumhlope and that it will be graced by Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) Executive Director, Siphosami Malunga.
Hadebe labelled a staff member at the foundation who rushed to advertise the now cancelled event as the scapegoat to social media reports which alluded that the public lecture was going to take place on Independence Day despite the incumbent lockdown which emanated from the country’s fight against the catastrophic Covid-19 (coronavirus) which has, to date, claimed the lives of four and infected 14 in Zimbabwe.
“A staff member rushed to advertise the memorial lecture at the museum without consulting others. However, as far as we know, that lecture is cancelled,” said Hadebe.
“What we have agreed on is to hold this year’s lecture at the CUT, but the date has not been confirmed as yet pending the lifting of the coronavirus lockdown,” he said.
The first edition of the Joshua Nkomo Memorial Lecture was held in 2017.
Affectionately referred to as Father Zimbabwe, Nkomo died on July 1 1999 at the age of 82.
Private Media
