Concern over social media terrorists

GOVERNMENT is concerned by the continued dissemination of false information on social media platforms meant to mischievously tarnish its image.

Last week, social media was awash with false information that businessman and fraud suspect Delish Nguwaya was a holder of a diplomatic passport.

In a statement yesterday, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Dr Sibusiso Moyo refuted the social media claims as false and baseless.

He said the circulation of the false information was only meant to tarnish the good works of the new dispensation.

“Following social media reports of Sunday 21 June 2020 claiming that Mr Delish Nguwaya is a holder of a diplomatic passport, I wish to inform the nation that as the custodians of the diplomatic passports in Zimbabwe, my ministry has no record of our issuing a diplomatic passport to Mr Delish Nguwaya.”

Minister Moyo said if Nguwaya had a diplomatic passport, he could have acquired it fraudulently and whoever had evidence that Nguwaya was a holder of diplomatic passport was supposed to present it to relevant authorities.

Minister Moyo said according to the records from the Registrar-General’s Office, Nguwaya had an ordinary passport.

“I wish to confirm that from the Registrar-General’s Office records, Mr Nguwaya is a bona fide holder of an ordinary passport that was issued in Harare on 4 October 2011 and expires on 3 October 2021,’’ said the minister.

The 36-year-old businessman has appeared in court facing charges of defrauding the Government in the procurement of personal protective equipment for Covid-19 and the matter is pending.

Recently, Cabinet agreed that there was need for a proactive approach in curbing the abuse of the internet and social media.