Zim rubbishes claims of a crisis

Harare (New Ziana) – There is no crisis in Zimbabwe of whatever nature and magnitude and calls for a foreign intervention to deal with the so called urgent situation were unwarranted, a Cabinet Minister said on Thursday.

In recent weeks, opposition political activists with the support of Western embassies have, through social media, sought to portray Zimbabwe as sliding into a deep human rights crisis which could only be solved through foreign intervention.

Running under social media hash tags such as ZimbabweanLivesMatter, the desperate activists have sought to bring Zimbabwe under international spotlight as part of a larger regime change plot.

The renewed onslaught is also meant to coincide with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government summit due to be held via video conference next week.

Rubbishing the false assertions, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Zimbabwe remained peaceful contrary to claims that all was not well.

“It is important that we refute press claims of a crisis in Zimbabwe,” she said.

“It is common knowledge that there is no Zimbabwean issue before the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security. Neither is there one such issue before the SADC Summit. Definitely there is no such issue before the continental body, the African Union. All said there is no crisis in Zimbabwe which needs external intervention under established international treaties and conventions.”

Mutsvangwa said the crisis narrative was being perpetuated by the opposition MDC-Alliance which was still bitter over the heavy electoral loss it suffered at the hands of the ruling Zanu PF party in 2018.

“The position of Zimbabwe is that there is a domestic opposition which lost elections in 2018. Prior to voting day it had threatened then declared that it will not accept any result other than that which declared them winners. Otherwise they were going to ensure that the country is ungovernable. All subsequent events thereafter are a manifestation of this threat. The subjective opinions be they from third party political entities, diplomatic circles are not the proper guide in the conduct of diplomacy among sovereign and friendly nations,” she said.

She said the deployment of special envoys by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in response to the crisis narrative gave the Zimbabwean government an opportunity to clarify matters.

Former South African Minister of Safety and Security Dr Sydney Mufamadi, former Speaker of Parliament Baleka Mbete and former South African Minister of Public Service and Administration Advocate Ngoako Ramatlhodi were dispatched to Harare by Ramaphosa early this week to President Emmerson Mnangagwa on a fact finding mission.

“These envoys were sent by His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa to his counterpart, His Excellency, President ED Mnangagwa. This was at the peer to peer level of brotherly Heads of State of two sister nations that enjoy excellent diplomatic bilateral relations. The envoys brought in their message which was duly delivered to the host President. In return they received a briefing from President ED Mnangagwa.

“The reciprocal messages are the property of the respective leaders and it is their prerogative as to how they can be handled or disseminated,” she said.

Mutsvangwa said several other misinformed narratives against the government were also being pushed.

These, she said, included accusations that the government was targeting and arbitrarily arresting opposition activists and ill-treating them.

“Our Justice system is blind to political persuasion, rank, creed, race, social and political networks. Therefore, all prisoners in a certain category are treated in the same manner,” she said.

“Taking into account the Covid-19 context, prisoners have a constitutional right to be protected from public health risks such as the Coronavirus, this may include bringing in measures such as stopping or limiting the number of visitors and external items prisoners can have access to. This is what explains the current control measures being implemented in our all prisons.”

On the false narrative that the government was reversing the gains of the war of liberation by paying compensation to former white farmers, she said the money was being paid in fulfillment of section 295 (1) of the Constitution.

The government agreed to pay the former white farmers $3.5 billion dollars in compensation for improvements made on the land they lost under Zimbabwe’s agrarian reforms.

“I want to debunk any assertions that there is a reversal of the land reform programme. This mischief is purveyed by the loony and extreme right wing circles,” she said.

“Let it be also noted that the signing of the Global Compensation Agreement on the 27th of July 2020, was a fulfillment of the aspirations of the Zimbabwean people as expressed in the referendum of 16 March 2013. In that instance nearly 95 percent of the population endorsed the new Constitution with the quoted provisions therein.”

She added; “ZANU-PF is a revolutionary party that fought a non-racial and just struggle for majority rule. It has not time to indulge in gratuitous racial baiting. Rather it wants all its citizens inclusive of former white commercial farmers to enjoy complete, equal and inclusive rights and freedoms.”

Mutsvangwa called on other countries to respect Zimbabwe’s sovereignty.

“Zimbabwe is a peace loving country which does not interfere in the affairs of other sovereign states and their interactions with their citizens. It therefore desires to be accorded the same courtesy. His Excellency, the President directed our security forces enforcing the lockdown regulations to do so with a “humane face”. Where mistakes or excesses are alleged there is a complaint mechanism in place and we urge aggrieved citizens to utilize it,” she said.
New Ziana