By Editor
Lupane- The Vice-Chancellor of Lupane State University Professor Pardon Kuipa has clarified a recent widely shared photo featuring President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda, the institution’s academics and prominent civic leaders, saying it had nothing to do with the current constitutional amendments process, Zanu PF succession or politics at all as it was purely about an academic event.
The photo – which was taken at State House in Harare on 17 January 2026 – captured Kuipa, Mudenda and other prominent civic figures with Mnangagwa as they discussed the launch of the John Landa Nkomo Annual Memorial Lecture to be hosted by Lupane State University in Matabeleland North province where Nkomo hailed from.
On the photo, from left to right, is Dr Mbulisi Ndlovu; Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, Lupane State University; Dr Gorden Moyo PhD Programme Coordinator, Lupane State University; Kuipa, Vice-Chancellor Lupane State University; Jabulani Nkomo, chairperson of the John Landa Nkomo Memorial Trust; Mnangagwa, also Lupane State University Chancellor; Advocate Jacob Mudenda, Speaker of the National Assembly; Dr Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, board member of the John Landa Nkomo Trust; and Nyararai Sibanda, board member of the John Landa Nkomo Trust.
On the photo, from left to right, is Dr Mbulisi Ndlovu; Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, Lupane State University; Dr Gorden Moyo PhD Programme Coordinator, Lupane State University; Kuipa, Vice-Chancellor Lupane State University; Jabulani Nkomo, chairperson of the John Landa Nkomo Memorial Trust; President Mnangagwa, also Lupane State University Chancellor; Advocate Jacob Mudenda, Speaker of the National Assembly; Dr Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, board member of the John Landa Nkomo Trust; and Nyararai Sibanda, board member of the John Landa Nkomo Trust.
President Mnangagwa was the host as Head of State and Chancellor of the university at State House.
Kuipa, Ndlovu and Moyo represented the university.
Mudenda was there as Speaker of Parliament since Nkomo was one of his predecessors and the event was going to be at the university located in his home region, Matabeleland North province.
Jabulani and Samuel Nkomo represented the Nkomo family and the Trust.
Jabulani is John Nkomo’s son, while Samuel is his brother. Sibanda is a friend to Jabulani.
That is why those people were there.
Commenting on the issue, Kuipa said:
” I have seen recent comments on that photo on social media. Let me clarify this, hopefully for the last time. I am afraid there’s no story here at all. Yes, the photo is authentic. It was taken at State House on 17 January 2026 where we as the university, with the family of the late John Landa Nkomo, had visited the President seeking his assistance on the John Landa Nkomo Trust’s bid to launch a memorial lecture for the late Vice-President.
The brother (Samuel) and son (Jabulani) of the late JL Nkomo are on the photo if you know them. They were there as part of the family and the Trust to push the initiative.
The occasion, and hence the photo, was way back in January; it had nothing to do with the recent Constitution Amendment Bill No.3 (CAB3), but everything to do with the late JL Nkomo who was at some point a Speaker of Parliament, which is why the current Speaker was present to support the Annual Memorial Lecture initiative. Briefly, it had nothing do with CAB3, succession or politics at all.”
Prior to Kuipa’s comment, Moyo, former opposition MDC-T State Enterprises minister during the Government of National Unity from 2009-2013, had also said the photo was completely unrelated to the constitutional amendments, Zanu PF succession politics, or hidden political realignments as some social media activists were implying or suggesting.
A Lupane State University academic said:
“Social media can sometimes be used for misinformation to mislead the public. I just can’t believe we have spent so much time, weeks on end to be specific, and effort trying to clarify a memorial lecturer initiative and photo due to social media conspiracy theories which are baseless and totally unfounded.
I have seen some long, convoluted articles, conspiracy theories in writing to be precise, on such a straightforward issue about an event that happened six months ago and is not even related to the issues and processes referred to in those posts. Totally unrelated.”
The lecturer added:
“Conspiracies generally exist due to epistemic or knowledge and information gaps, personality traits of individuals, and how some people come across events and process information.
They can be a psychological or epistemic phenomenon at the extreme end of the political spectrum; providing seemingly structured narratives that comport or fit with the worldview of their purveyors.
Many Zimbabweans, for instance, in politics prefer ‘Manichean’ narratives, common in religious and populist political rhetoric; the Us versus Them mentality.
They use a binary interpretation of things or the world, issues are often viewed as a struggle between good and evil; no middle ground, no complexity and no shades of gray.
So in politics, either you are Zanu PF or opposition to them, nothing more, nothing less.
But you can’t interpret politics or society like that, deal with complex issues in such a simplistic way.
Manichean narratives often attribute the source of unexplainable or extraordinary events to unknown, yet intentional forces, and tend to be melodramatic, like we are witnessing stories around this picture.
Look at how this photo is viewed, honestly the whole story is implausible, outslandish or simply false, but it reveals and confirms what some people want to hear or believe, nevermind what the facts and truth really are.”
