Mnangagwa 'debunks' false fuel price narrative

Attempts to ascribe last week's pre-planned violence instigated by the opposition MDC-Alliance and its civil society allies to the fuel situation in the country is a false link, President Mnangagwa established yesterday.

The Head of State received a briefing on the security situation in the country following his return from Eurasia and thanked Zimbabweans who chose peace and lawfulness and saw through the false link between the fuel situation and the pre-planned demonstrations by MDC-Alliance.

The propaganda that last week's orgy of violence was linked to the recent increase in fuel prices has been dominant in the local private media and Western media outposts. But with evidence of criminal enterprise that characterised the demonstrations, the narrative is coming unstuck.

In a statement yesterday, Secretary for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Mr Nick Mangwana said the President was happy that Zimbabweans read through MDC-Alliance's deception.

"His Excellency the President has expressed deep gratitude to the majority of peace-loving Zimbabweans who resisted the MDC-Alliance's actions of coercion and wanton hooliganism, and who instead chose to follow the path of peace and lawfulness," said Mr Mangwana.

"He is particularly happy that Zimbabweans saw through the false link between the fuel situation in the country on the one hand, and the pre-meditated demonstrations by the MDC and its affiliates on the other. His heart goes out to all those families who lost their loved ones as a result of these MDC-Alliance-inspired violent acts, and to all those businesses which suffered losses running into millions of dollars because of disruptions and damages from these acts of political vandalism," said Mr Mangwana.

He said the violent demonstrations were pre-planned and MDC-Alliance and its allies are wholly responsible for the loss of lives and destruction of property.

"Following today's extensive briefing to his Excellency the President, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa,on the state of affairs in the country, it has become clearer more than ever before that the violent demonstrations which rocked the country last week were long pre-planned by MDC Alliance working in cahoots with its associate organisations , principally the ZCTU and political NGOs led by the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition and with foreign organisations and individuals who had been infiltrated into the country for the purpose. The violent demonstrations were a direct result of this elaborate plan agreed to at a meeting held last year at Wild Geese Resort, which plan was meant to trigger and precipitate instability in the country for regime change," he said.

"The MDC-Alliance and its affiliates are thus wholly responsible for the destructive events which followed, and of course for the consequent loss of life and destruction of property which the country suffered."

Mr Mangwana said the law was clear on what to do with organisers of such activities. "Ours laws clearly hold to account all those responsible for convening demonstrations whose outcome turns out to be violent. Government is thus committed to enforcing the relevant law to the fullest, meaning the MDC-Alliance and its allies will be made to fully account for the losses incurred as a result of those demonstrations.

"Those from their ranks who are on the run, or are still at large hiding, will be accounted for eventually, in order to make them fully answerable for their actions," he said.