INFORMATION, Media and Broadcasting Services minister Jonathan Moyo launched a tirade against the independent press for insinuating that elections were looming due to swirling speculation Zanu PF might recall about 100 legislators perceived to be aligned to former Vice-President Joice Mujuru.
Moyo had no kind words for the independent press, saying the “frenzied” media reports “reflected the wishful thinking of authors of the reports”, adding that “the poverty and irrelevance of the reports are exposed by the fact that the Constitution of Zimbabwe does not have a provision for recalling Members of Parliament”.
While his argument might sound valid, he should be reminded that a few days ago the public newspapers he superintends carried bluntly fictitious stories claiming former Zanu PF secretary for administration, Didymus Mutasa, was back in his beloved Rusape and that a homecoming party was held on his behalf by his allies.
The story boomeranged as it emerged Mutasa was still attending to his sick wife in India. But we digress as this is a story for another day on the basics in journalism.
Moyo, a political scientist of repute in his own right, should surely know that in Zanu PF the buck stops with President Robert Mugabe.
Citizens might get a clearer picture on the fate of targeted legislators when Moyo’s boss returns from holidaying in the Far East, probably during his 91st birthday on February 21.
Mugabe usually makes political pronouncements on major occasions and rarely through spin-doctoring or via a captured public press.
Secondly, citizens should be reminded that it is the same Moyo who not long ago denied from the word go that Mugabe’s wife, Grace, was attacking former Vice-President Mujuru during her whirlwind rallies.
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Moyo claimed this newspaper twisted Grace’s statements in Gwanda. In his own words Moyo said: “This is some infertile imagination of the creators of this story.” But we have been vindicated.
It is advisable for citizens to take with a pitch of salt Moyo’s latest utterances – remember they say when the cat is away the mice play.
But in retrospect, Moyo is probably trying to repackage himself as the Zanu PF and government spokesperson, taking advantage of the holidays, and to use his words, Christmas libations.
All this could be part of managing the continuing internal strife in Zanu PF unless of course Moyo and other mandarins fear elections. In the last elections Moyo was thumped by the then MDC-T candidate Roselyn Sipepa Nkomo.
