Zanu PF dismisses fake news
ZANU PF has dismissed as fictitious, a report in a local daily newspaper yesterday claiming the ruling party has failed to fulfil its 2018 election promises.
In a statement yesterday, Zanu PF national spokesperson Ambassador Simon Khaya Moyo said fake news had no place in civilised newsrooms and the ruling party categorically rejected narratives that sought to criminalise its progress and achievements.
“The revolutionary party Zanu PF has taken note of a leading story in today’s (yesterday’s) NewsDay paper quoting a non-existent, fame seeking outfit identified as Sivio which claims that Zanu PF has achieved only 2% of the party’s promises as provided in the 2018 People’s manifesto.
“This fake news story is coming at a time when the Zanu PF Government is working tirelessly with the people under the President’s mantra,’No one Must Be Left Behind’, which has been commended even by usually unfriendly global institutions such as the IMF which has projected that Zimbabwe’s economic turnaround is indeed on course,” said Ambassador Khaya Moyo.
He said the country’s economy had shown resilience in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and other exogenous shocks.
The pandemic, coupled with Cyclone Idai in 2019, had taken a severe toll on the economic and humanitarian situation.
“However, an economic recovery is underway in 2021, with real GDP expected to grow by about six percent, reflecting a bumper agricultural output, increased energy production, and the resumption of greater manufacturing and construction activities.”
“In addition to that, facts and statistics on the ground attest to the fact that Zimbabwe has achieved full food security following a successful agricultural season headlined by the Pfumvudza/ Intwasa farming programme and the Presidential Inputs Support Scheme.”
Zimbabwe had migrated from being a food importer as witnessed by the ban on importation of grain maize and mealie-meal with the country looking forward to becoming a potential exporter of maize and other farm products.
This was a radical departure from what was obtaining before the New Dispensation led by President Mnangagwa was in place.
The people’s manifesto was very clear on the commitment to connect Zimbabwe to the region and the world at large through modernisation of the road network.
Dam construction countrywide and erection of irrigation structures to support agriculture and defy climate change were a reality for all to see.
The swift disaster response mechanisms put in place by our Government were the reason why Cyclone Idai torn communities of Chimanimani, Chipinge and other eastern parts of the country were back to life notwithstanding the magnitude of the damage that was caused.
“The same applies to our Covid-19 pandemic response strategy, which has seen our country’s death rate from the pandemic low and our recovery rate increasing, not to mention that we are the leading country in the region if not from Cape to Cairo in terms of Covid-19 vaccination.
“Due to a raft of macro and micro-economic reforms, our Government has maintained our local currency stable against the US dollar with the foreign currency auction system playing a major role in restoring sanity in the foreign exchange market, resulting in reduced inflation.
“Political reforms implemented thus far with the repealing of AIPPA and POSA as well as the opening up of the democratic space explain the peaceful coexistence and tolerance that characterise our civil engagement politically, socially and culturally,” said Ambassador Khaya Moyo.
The revolution in the energy sector, industrial recapitalisation and resuscitation efforts which had seen the emergence of new industries and resurrection of many that had lost life clearly attested to the seriousness with which Zanu PF was seized with implementing its pledges.
“Interestingly, the President has led the launch of these industries in the full eyes of the local media and NewsDay itself.
“While this statement is not meant to chronologise all our many success stories ranging from engagement and re-engagement, efforts towards closure of the Gukurahundi issue and achieving unity and opening up the country for both local and foreign direct investment (FDI), we challenge the NewsDay and the fame seeking outfit to learn to separate fact from fiction and report responsibly instead of running amok driven by vendetta journalism and a spirit of criticism.”
The party had opened up to all media despite some of them being traditionally hostile and known for doing the bidding for opposition parties that had lost oxygen.
It remained committed to that openness and building relations in the spirit of the New Dispensation and President Mnangagwa’s directive to drop the ‘us versus them’ approach.
“We reserve our right to inform the NewsDay and its owners to desist from this culture of misrepresenting issues.
“We have observed this trend for a while but we have remained mature in our response to this malicious fake news orchestra from a single stable.
“We have neither desire nor intention to control or direct the editorial policy of any media stakeholder but we deserve respect and fair coverage.”