Biography

 John Gambanga. is my name. I was born on February 14, 1954 in Norton, Chegutu District of Zimbabwe. I am married to a retired school teacher and we have four children.

My  late father was a nurse and my mother is a house wife.

I come from a large family of six boys and four girls. I attended local schools in Harare and later enrolled at the Christian College of Southern Africa, a private college  in Harare in 1978 to study Journalism and Mass Communication.

On graduation I joined the Catholic weekly Moto as a junior reporter in 1980 but moved six months later to join the state run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation  as a junior reporter.

I rose through the ranks to become Senior Sub Editor when I left seven years later. In between I had taken time off to attend media courses at Stanford University in the USA, Centre for Advanced Training of Journalists in Tunis and  The Thompson Foundation at Cardiff University in Wales.

I joined  The Herald daily newspaper in Harare as a senior feature writer in 1987 and was appointed Features Editor in 1990.

In December 1992, I was appointed Editor of the weekly Manica Post in Mutare and remained in that position until May 2001 when I joined the Daily News as News Editor.

I was appointed Editor of the same paper in December 2002 until it was stopped from publishing by the government in September 2003.

I edited the  Online edition of the Daily News for a year before were forced to close down in June 2005.

I was appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe in  June 2006 until  June 2008 when I became Executive Director of the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe.

I have won six local  and three international journalism awards among them the Commonwealth Foundation Fellowship and  the Don Rowlands Memorial award.

I have published three books in my mother language, Shona, a play and two novels.

I used to run a drama club for three years in Mutare and we penned, directed and produced a play for the national theatre competition in 1995, but the play did not win a prize.

I enjoy travelling and meeting people as well as writing  poetry and short stories.

My residential address is Number 97/2 Ferndale Avenue, Waterfalls, Harare.

My mobile number is 0912236185 and my office tel Number is 263-4-788287, Harare