Social media kills Jonathan Moyo

Former Zanu PF minister and Member of Parliament Professor Jonathan Moyo has laughed off widely circulating rumours that he has died, dismissing the claims as premature "death wishes".

Moyo, who has been living in Nairobi, Kenya, since fleeing Zimbabwe following the November 2017 military intervention that led to the ouster of the late former President Robert Mugabe, confirmed that he is alive and well.

Reacting to persistent reports circulating since yesterday that he had either died or was critically ill, Moyo said: "Hahaha. Goodness me. Their death wishes are self-indulgent and premature. I'm not dead, yet!"

The former Zanu PF political strategist said he was not only alive but spending time with his family and children, who are currently at home during the school holidays.

The death rumours spread rapidly across social media platforms, including X, formerly Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, with some users claiming that Moyo had died while in exile. Others pointed to an apparent lull in his social media activity as supposed evidence that something had happened to him.

Moyo, who is normally highly active and outspoken on social media, had been relatively quiet between May 26 and June 30.

However, his absence from social media was reportedly linked to his involvement as the lead political consultant in the constitutional amendment process that culminated in sweeping changes to Zimbabwe's political and electoral framework.

The constitutional amendments, which were passed into law last month, extended the tenure of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, lengthened presidential and parliamentary terms and altered the method of electing the president by providing for selection through the legislature rather than a direct popular vote.

Moyo's role in the process has thrust him back into the centre of Zimbabwe's political debate, with his influence attracting both renewed support and criticism.

Within Zanu PF circles, he is increasingly being portrayed as a strategic political operator who helped engineer a significant reconfiguration of the country's political power structures. In opposition circles, however, he has been described by critics as a high-risk political gambler and opportunist operating at the highest levels of Zimbabwean politics.

Moyo remains one of Zimbabwe's most polarising and intellectually formidable political figures.

His political career spanning more than three decades has been marked by dramatic ideological and political shifts. He transformed from a fierce critic of the government into a prominent supporter and spokesperson of Mugabe's administration, later becoming deeply embroiled in Zanu PF's succession struggles.

His political fortunes changed dramatically during the November 2017 military intervention, when he became one of the key figures caught up in the dramatic events surrounding Mugabe's removal from power.

Moyo subsequently fled Zimbabwe in a high-stakes escape and has remained in exile for almost a decade. Despite his physical absence from the country, he has continued to wield considerable influence through political commentary, analysis and behind-the-scenes strategic engagements.

The latest death hoax has once again highlighted the enduring public interest surrounding Moyo, whose interventions in Zimbabwean politics continue to generate strong reactions across the political divide.

For now, however, the professor has made his position clear: he is alive, active and, in his own words, "not dead yet."