Zimbabwe’s vice president says the government will block a scholarship for LGBTQ+ people

By FARAI MUTSAKA
Associated Press

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe’s powerful vice president says the government will block a university scholarship for young LGBTQ+ people. The state university scholarship for people between the ages of 18 and 35 is sponsored by GALZ, a membership organization for LGBTQ+ people in Zimbabwe. The association started offering it in 2018 without incident. But a recent online advertisement inviting applications attracted a harsh response from Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, a self-proclaimed devout Catholic and former army commander. In a strongly worded statement Thursday night, Chiwenga claimed the scholarship was “a direct challenge” to the government’s authority. Human rights groups on Friday described his remarks as a perpetuation of the African country’s homophobic practices.