Ruvheneko Elsie Parirenyatwa (born 15 September 1988) is a

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

an radio and television talk show host, emcee, voice-over artist, brand ambassador and philanthropist. She is a talk show host for ''Ruvheneko'', a current affairs talk show that airs on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

as well as on radio for Zimbabwe's Capitalk 100.4 FM and Star FM. She was ranked second on the 2017 list of most influential Zimbabweans Under 40 compiled by a UK-based business magazine.

Early life

Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa was born on 15 September 1988. She is the daughter of politician and physician

David Parirenyatwa Pagwesese David Parirenyatwa (born August 2, 1950) is a Zimbabwean politician who served in the government of Zimbabwe as Minister of Health from 2013 to 2018. Previously he served as Minister of Health from 2002 to 2009. He is a medical doctor b ...

and Choice Parirenyatwa. She is also the granddaughter of

Tichafa Samuel Parirenyatwa Tichafa Samuel Parirenyatwa (17 July 1927 – 14 August 1962) was Zimbabwe's first trained black physician, medical doctor and the first vice-president of the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU). He rose to prominence during ZAPU's political ...

, the first black medical doctor in

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kn ...

and for whom the

Parirenyatwa Hospital Parirenyatwa General Hospital a hospital in Harare and is the largest medical centre in Zimbabwe. The hospital was formerly known as the Andrew Fleming Hospital and was named after the principal medical officer to the British South Africa Company ...

is named. Parirenyatwa attended

Chisipite Senior School Chisipite Senior School (or Chisipite) is an Independent school, independent Single-sex education, single-sex Secondary school, secondary Day school, day and Boarding school, boarding school for girls, located in Harare, Zimbabwe. The school is si ...

from 2001 to 2006. She initially wanted to be a

pediatrician Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

because her father is a doctor, but decided against it after failing her O Levels in

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

. She entered the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

as a law student, but switched to a media degree program after taking a media elective her second year. She graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in media and writing and political science in 2009. She went on to earn a postgraduate diploma in marketing at the same university.

Broadcasting career

Parirenyatwa launched her broadcasting career whilst she was a student at the

(UCT). She joined the university's radio station when she was in her second year as the current affairs talk show host. In November 2013, she was nominated to participate in the Africa Leadership Project that was launched in 2014. She has emceed at the former First Lady Grace Mugabe's 50th birthday as well the former First Daughter Bona and Simba Chikore's wedding. Parirenyatwa is the presenter of The Zimbabwe Election Debates Series with Election Resource Centre Zimbabwe broadcast on Star FM and Capitalk100.4FM and has since interviewed politicians on her talk shows. Additionally, Ruvheneko is a Radio Division Projects Manager at Zimpapers and is also studying a Master of Science in International Relations at the University of Zimbabwe.

ZiFM Stereo

Parirenyatwa was the radio presenter and producer for current affairs at a radio station in Harare called

ZiFM Stereo ZiFM Stereo is a Zimbabwean private commercial radio station that is based in the country's capital, Harare. It broadcasts throughout the country on FM. It began broadcasting on 15 August 2012. It is Zimbabwe's first free to air radio station t ...

from 2012 until 2016. In 2015 until 2016, she also took on the role as programming manager. Parirenyatwa explained that she wanted a free space hence her resignation from the radio station. In an online television platform, she stated that she was more enthusiastic about uncompromised dialogue. She explained how stipulations as a result of editorial policy hindered open dialogue which for her was destructive because she wanted to continue the dialogue she created without fear or subjugation. She has since started her online TV show which airs on Facebook Live along with her talk shows on Capitalk 100.4 FM and Star FM Zimbabwe.

Philanthropy

Parirenyatwa was the deputy chairperson of the Harare Youth Council, an organisation that advances the opportunities for youth in Zimbabwe. Together with a group of friends, she launched the ZimboLove Foundation in 2013; a charity that helps people who cannot afford blood by giving them The Ruvheneko Mentorship Program is aimed at young ambitious Zimbabweans. They work with youths on their journey to success by finding where their purpose and passion intersect. This program develops skills, strategies and capabilities and in turn brings out the greatness and uniqueness from every individual mentee. It also molds the mentee's character and personality to find favour in all endeavours.

Awards

Parirenyatwa has been awarded many accolades including but not limited to: * Women's Top Business Leader of the Year – Special Recognition in Media and Broadcasting Excellence from Women's Leadership Awards (2017) * Top Outstanding Woman in Broadcast Media & Radio in Republic of Zimbabwe from Women's Heritage Society World Organization (WHSWO) (2015) * Top 20 outstanding woman in Business for the year 2015 special recognition in good media relations from the Megafest business awards, * Radio personality of the year (Zimbabwe Business awards 2014)

Personal life

In 2014, Parirenyatwa married Tendai Mafara. In 2021, the couple divorced and announced they had in fact separated in 2016. In March 2022, Parirenyatwa announced she was pregnant with her first child.