The photos of mud and thatch do not represent the actual school infrastructure in Zimbabwe.
This X post with photos allegedly showing schools in Zimbabwe is PARTLY FALSE.
The post uses four photos, two of thatch, pole and mud structures and two of people standing alongside luxury vehicles. It makes a comparison between the two situations claiming schools are of poor standard yet some people in the same country are living luxurious lives.
“These schools are in Zimbabwe, and these donations are made in Zimbabwe too. The children are Zimbabweans too,” reads the post.
Are these photos actually from Zimbabwe’s schools?
The Besana Mail – Zim Truth Radar investigated.
First Photo
Google reverse image search shows that the image depicting children learning outside of a thatch, pole and mud structure was photographed by Andrew Brown for UNICEF Malawi in 2017.
The structure is a local church while children are from Katayanthona Primary School, Kasungu in Malawi.
According to UNICEF’s article the children were learning at the structure because some learners were having examinations at school. This is not Zimbabwe.
The image was also used as a cover photo on a INTOSAI Development Initiative ISSAI handbook in 2022.
Second Photo
Google reverse image search shows that the photo with three thatch, pole and mud structures is of Njobolo Primary school in Binga district, Zimbabwe before 2017 and not the situation in August 2025.
The school has proper modern state of art infrastructure built by Action Aid and a local partner and approved by the government of Zimbabwe. It was handed over to the community in 2018.
The Besana Mail – Zim Truth Radar contacted Action Aid Zimbabwe and spoke to Peter Clever Matimati, the Local Rights Programme and Partnership Manager who noted that the school was upgraded and handed over in 2018.
“Yes, we built the Njobola Primary School in Binga in 2017 and handed over it to the community in 2018. It was in a bad structure, just poles, thatch and mud. We partnered with Basilwizi Trust. Action Aid Zimbabwe sourced and got money from TX Foundation,” he said.
“Currently staff quarters are under construction at the same school using Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education models and we are adding another classroom next year. It is one of the schools we identified, others include Namusanga, Nakaluba and Kapale primary schools.”
Third Photo
Google reverse image search shows that the photo of a person in all black standing by the range rover with personalised registration plate is of WAGWIZI; a Contemporary and Traditional musician called Mukudzei Mukombe a.k.a Jah Prayzah, at Exquisite Car Dealership while collecting his gift of the Range Rover car.
Fourth Photo
Google reverse image search shows that the person holding his back head on the photo is Alick Macheso, a Zimbabwe’s Sungura musician collecting his Mercedes car gift at Exquisite Car Dealership.
The Besana Mail – Zim Truth Radar examined an X post claiming Zimbabwe’s schools are underdeveloped in a country where people get car donations and found it to be PARTLY FALSE.
This fact-check was produced by The Besana Mail, Zim Truth Radar as part of the African Fact-Checking Alliance’s (AFCA) incubation programme. It was produced with peer-mentorship from Code for Africa’s fact-checking initiative, PesaCheck, with financial support from Norway. AFCA mentorship respects the journalistic independence of the researchers, offering access to advanced techniques and tools. Editorial decision-making remains with The Besana Mail, Zim Truth Radar. Want to learn more? Visit: https://factcheck.africa/
