Zimbabwe Negativity Internally Generated, Says Minister Moyo  

 

Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter

Herald

The negative reflection of Zimbabwe on social media is internally generated and intended to reach foreign destinations and capitals, particularly ahead of international and regional summits, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Sibusiso Moyo said last night.

While Zimbabwe had its own challenges spawned by natural disasters such as drought, climate change and Covid-19, there is no crisis in the country.

Minister Moyo was fielding questions during a post-Cabinet media briefing.

“Negativity, which has recently mushroomed against Zimbabwe, let us look at what is the source. The source is internal, generated locally by our own people for the purpose of social media consumption so that it can reach certain personalities, destinations and capitals, which should respond negatively to Zimbabwe. That is the scenario. The consumer is social media and mostly those people who are outside,” said Minister Moyo.

“Yes, as a nation like any other country we have got challenges, especially under Covid-19. We have had lockdowns. For the past two decades we have been under sanctions and the economy has been limping. There is climate change, a direct consequence of drought, Cyclone Idai and lower generation of electricity. So there is less generation of food in the agriculture sector. Government has by all means developed strategies to arrest some of these challenges.”

He said the political situation in the country had been stage managed.

“The whole gamut of issues has been associated with activities that have been stage managed to a point that they are seen as real. As Zimbabweans, we must be Zimbabweans first. That must be our priority. It is pointless to destroy your home as if you have a second country. If there are issues that are not better understood, there must be dialogue,” he said.

Political dust in the country is usually raised whenever there is an international event such as the just ended Sadc summit and the African Union conference in order to draw international attention.

Minister Moyo said allegations of human rights abuses in Zimbabwe were unfounded and whoever had such evidence should approach relevant and competent organs with this evidence.

“There can be a propagation of a crisis in Zimbabwe. You and I know that there is no crisis in Zimbabwe. There are challenges, which are found in any other nation,” he said.

Minister Moyo said all leaders of Sadc were confident and happy with the election of President Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique to the chairmanship of the regional bloc.

There has been frantic efforts by exiled G40 fugitives to stoke emotions and international outrage by rehashing and regurgitating old videos and pictures, some from other countries to give the impression of human rights violations in the country.

Gullible international audiences, particularly those outside the country who lack both historical and current contexts of Zimbabwe’s domestic politics, quickly clutched onto the demonisation narrative, which was also being peddled and aided by local opposition political parties.

It also emerged other former G40 members had written to the ANC, begging South Africa’s ruling party to help G40 remnants to be readmitted into ZANU PF, arguing that only the revolutionary movement had the capacity to resolve any problems in Zimbabwe, the July 5 letter to the ANC said.

“We don’t believe that there is an alternative political formation in Zimbabwe which can address this crisis,” Prof Jonathan Moyo and Patrick Zhuwao said in the letter.