A GRADUATE from Huddersfield University who was exiled from his homeland because of his investigative journalism has been recognised for his work.

Rodreck Chipezeze was one of those nominated for honours in the Zimbabwean Achievement Awards 2011.

The awards, which took place earlier this month, recognise the talents of Zimbabweans who have triumphed against all odds and celebrates their commitment to excellence, creativity and innovation.

Rodreck, who lives in Huddersfield and works as a broadcast journalist for the BBC, was nominated for the title of Journalist of the Year.

Votes were cast across the world and Rodreck took second place with an impressive 89,162 votes, compared to his main rival, Lance Guma, who only just claimed the title with almost 90,000 votes.

Rodreck was a journalist in his home country of Zimbabwe, producing work for CNN, the BBC and ITV.

However, his investigative journalism and television documentaries didn’t sit well with his country’s government and Rodreck was subsequently forced to into exile.

Coming to England in 2001, Rodreck found his journalism qualifications were not recognised in the UK – so he studied for a BA(Hons) television production and media degree at Huddersfield University’s Barnsley campus.

Commenting on the competition, Rodreck said: “I had a wonderful time at the awards and to get so many votes was amazing. I was really touched that people acknowledge and rate my work.

“I have now been asked to feature as a panellist for next year’s awards, which is a real honour and something which I hope I will have time to do.”

Said Rodreck: “I feel that my ability to be able to think out of the box and come up with different angles for stories which aren’t the norm is definitely a result of my studies.

“Huddersfield teaches you the practical skills you need to be able to succeed in the workplace, which for that I am very grateful.”