John Manzongo

John Manzongo: brief biography

My first job after completing secondary education was in the Zimbabwe National Army where I served in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a defence journalist from 2000 to 2002. After the DRC war, I continued to serve in the army until 2009.

In 2006, I started writing news articles for The Herald Newspaper as a correspondent.

In 2008, I briefly worked for the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation as a news reporter, cameraperson and technical studio equipment operator; I have worked on several television programmes.

In 2009, I resigned from the Zimbabwe National Army and joined The Herald Newspaper on a full-time basis as a labour news reporter; I also work as a photographer. In 2011, I was offered a fellowship to study Communicating Rights at Work, a course aimed at African media professionals.

The course was a real eye opener for me. I am now fully aware of and understand International Labour Standards. The knowledge I gained has greatly improved the way I write labour news articles and the way I interact and relate to labour partners: employers, workers and the government.