IN THE PRESS

HEADLINES in the so-called private press are invaluable insofar as they afford an opportunity to take a peek at the thinking of hostile Western forces and, by extension, their quislings in the opposition.

The desperation to deligitimise the dialogue that took place at State House on Wednesday — which was convened by President Emmerson Mnangagwa — and to exalt the National Prayer Breakfast — simply because it was attended by MDC-A leader Nelson Chamisa — was quite apparent.

Such desperation betrays a pre-conceived agenda to inflate Chamisa’s political stock and elevate his standing to that of the Head of State and Government.

But this matter was already settled on July 30 last year.

There seems to be a desperation, too, to shape and influence a pre-determined agenda for the talks, which ashamedly omits two critical questions of the day for Zimbabwe: sanctions and opposition-sponsored violence.

Thankfully, neutral parties that do not have a vested interest in Zimbabwe are seeing through the contrived spin of the private press.

The statement made by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who leads East African biggest economy, on Thursday pushing for the lifting of sanctions against Zimbabwe, is quite instructive.

South Africa, Africa’s biggest economy, has already pronounced itself on the issue. So, any local dialogue will have to put sanctions on top of the agenda.