The Project Team
The project team gives support to the editorial team and is responsible for the media literacy and training mandate of the Trust.
The Project Team is led by an Executive Director and handles trainings, fundraising, monitoring and evaluation; and all other support functions
Lifaqane Nare
Executive Director
Holds an MSc degree in Journalism and Media Studies from the National University of Science and Technology, a post graduate diploma in media and communication studies and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Zimbabwe. Worked for various media houses between 2003 and 2015 including The Daily Mirror, The Sunday News, ZBC and Studio 7. Between 2015 and 2017 she worked with developmental aid agencies as a consultant in developing training strategies for media houses in business reporting, before getting into fact checking, in 2018 with Zimbabwe’s first fact checking platform ZimFact. In 2022 she founded FactCheckZW Media Lab
Zenzele Dube
Finance Officer
Zenzele holds a National Diploma in Accounting and is currently studying CIS part C. She has over 14 years work experience in various portfolios
Chiedza Chitate
Administrative Assistant
Chiedza holds an Honours Degree in Development Studies and an executive certificate in Project Management Monitoring and Evaluation. She has administrative experience in managing office operations. She has the ability to facilitate all aspects of internal and external communications, support day to day administrative and operational functions such as filing, schedule management and organisational skills. In research, she assists in data collection, capturing and analysis, coordinating programmes and monitoring media with social media monitoring tools.
The Editorial Team
This team forms the core of the functions of the Trust. It is led by the Editor, guided by the editorial charter, and enjoys publishing independence; without interference from the other two supporting structures.
Cliff Furusa
Editor/Programme Coordinator
Cliff has over 15 years experience in the Human Resources sector having worked at Hwange Colliery Company and BL Harbert International holding various positions. He holds a Bachelor of Sociology degree. He ‘discovered’ the joy of fact-checking and began fact checking after undergoing some Fact check training with a continental organisation. He is part of the FactCheckZW founding team.
Mbekezeli Ncube
Researcher
Started his journalism career in 2016 as a sports reporter for Sunday News before being a correspondent for Namibian based magazine, Etanga Sports. In 2019 he joined NewZimbabwe.com for a two year stint, before joining CITE as a correspondent. He began fact checking in 2020 after undergoing some training from a local fact checking organisation
Irvin Ronney
Researcher - Visual Content
Irvin Ronney is a dynamic sound engineer, content creator, and multifaceted artist dedicated to the pursuit of truth and creativity. With a rich background in audio production and content creation, Irvin brings a unique blend of technical expertise and artistic vision to FactCheckZW. As a content creator, Irvin is passionate about crafting engaging narratives that resonate with audiences while ensuring the accuracy and integrity of information. His work at FactCheckZW reflects his commitment to combating misinformation and fostering informed discourse.
Mbekezeli Ncube
Researcher
Mandla Tshuma is a seasoned Bulawayo-based freelance journalist with more than 15 years of experience as a journalist. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Journalism and Media Studies and a Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Journalism and Media Studies both from the National University of Science and Technology. In his career, Tshuma has reported general and health news for the state-controlled daily newspaper – Chronicle – as well as business and politics for the Financial Gazette, a private weekly newspaper. Before joining FactcheckZW in 2024 as a researcher, Tshuma had also worked as an information officer for the Zimbabwe Development Democracy Trust (ZDDT) and the Centre for Innovation and Technology (CITE) as a senior news reporter.
The Management Committee
FactCheckZW is run by a management committee that derives its mandate from the Deed document and has direct oversight on the work of the Trust. The management committee comprises 5 people with different skills including management, legal, financial and journalism.
Sinqobizitha Nyathi
Chairperson
Banker who has worked close to two decades for banking and financially linked institutions. She is also a women’s empowerment champion who believes women cannot be fully empowered without involving, engaging and equally empowering the boy child. Hence she founded and runs an institution called The Betterman Foundation which seeks to ensure young men are mentally prepared for a world of empowered women without feeling threatened.
Felicity Ndou
Vice Chairperson
Registered lawyer with the High Court of Zimbabwe and an active member of the Law Society of Zimbabwe with good standing and repute. Holds a Bachelor of Laws Honours from the University of Zimbabwe and a Masters of Laws in Commercial Law from the University of Cape Town. She has over 5 years experience as a litigation attorney and has handled an array of cases representing the interests of individuals and corporates. She remains resolute and dedicated to her work and the practice of the law.
Mxolisi Ncube
Treasurer
Certified Public Accountant (Zim) and Registered Public Accountant (Zim). Over 20 years experience in reporting, management accounting, taxation, Systems set-up & Financial Strategy and strategic management. Experience in Board proceedings and Company secretaryship -(Zimbabwe , Botswana and Zambia) Group Financial Controller – Cresta Hotels President and Board Chairman –Zimbabwe Volleyball Association Treasurer – CAVB Zone VI Federations
Noreen Kudzai Wini-Dari
Community Advisor
She is a community psychologist who works as a Consultant on Tirere Pamwe (let’s nurture them together), a parent education programme at Pyschmates. She is a member of the Global Parenting Initiative, and also works as part of a technical working group on parenting in the global south. Noreen has a special interest in raising awareness on mental health issues in communities; she works in various community initiatives to strengthen mental health support systems. She is committed to improving livelihoods through research and using evidence based interventions.
Methuseli Moyo
Media Advisor
Currently teaching journalism and media studies at the National University of Science and Technology in Bulawayo. Has worked for Zimbabwe’s Zimpapers, starting from position of reporter to news editor within five years. Was appointed to head Spot FM Radio, as both Editor-In-Chief and Chief Executive Officer in 2004. Methuseli holds a Master of Science in Journalism and Media Studies degree with the National University of Science and Technology (2016).