News / National
Mujuru attacks now comical
21 Nov 2014 at 16:19hrs | Views
Analysts yesterday pooh-poohed the "comical propaganda" that is increasingly being spewed by State media and Zanu-PF opponents of Vice President Joice Mujuru.
At the same time, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC dismissed outright attempts by State media yesterday to link the party with the beleaguered VP.
Analyst Maxwell Saungweme said while people did not necessarily sympathise with Mujuru, as "she represents Zanu-PF and the rot this party is about", the propaganda in State media had now become too comical and far-fetched to be believable.
He said claims by The Herald yesterday that the VP was talking to the MDC was "one of the many hopeless attempts by desperate politicians who have control over that paper" to discredit Mujuru.
"So many such hard-to-believe stories have appeared in the paper in the past weeks and one knows that most of these stories are fallacious.
"If Mujuru wants to merge with any political party, why meet Sikhala who no longer heads any party? Why not meet Tsvangirai, (MKD leader Simba) Makoni, (NCA interim leader Lovemore) Madhuku, (Zapu leader Dumiso) Dabengwa etc.
"It's sad that The Herald, just like the First Lady (Grace Mugabe), is choosing to sink so low, abusing its status as a State paper to report fiction, and cover raw obscenities from Grace, while throwing all media ethics through the window.
"I feel for those poor journalists at The Herald for they are endangering their careers by peddling outright lies and political hogwash just to please a First Lady who everyone can see is failing to manage her illusions of grandeur," Saungweme said.
University of Kent law lecturer, Alex Magaisa, said although he was no longer privy to matters within the MDC, the story in The Herald smacked of "cheap propaganda designed to tarnish the name of Joice Mujuru in the eyes of Zanu-PF supporters".
"One of the tactics in this battle is to soil and destroy Mujuru's reputation, and one way to do so is to claim that she is a sell-out. This is the label that has been used against the MDC parties in the past and it therefore makes sense for those fighting Mujuru to claim that she is an associate of the MDC-T.
"Recall also that this claim was already on the table, having been made by Grace Mugabe a few weeks ago. The whole aim is to destroy her reputation.
"Nevertheless, I cannot see why the opposition parties should not be exploring alliances with those who are out of favour in Zanu-PF. It makes political sense to combine forces with those who are disgruntled with the Zanu-PF way of doing things. Politics is about making strategic alliances and exploiting opportunities when they present themselves," Magaisa said.
On its part, the MDC dismissed outright attempts by the State-controlled controlled media "to link us to one of the factions involved in the vicious dogfight to succeed the 90-year-old Robert Mugabe".
"In its issue of Thursday, November 20, 2014, The Herald leads with a false and malicious story that gives the impression that the MDC is in talks with the Zanu-PF faction led by Vice President Joice Mujuru and that a deal had been agreed upon in terms of which president Morgan
Tsvangirai will have a junior role in a unity government.
"Nothing could be further from the truth. We are a popular political party that is ready to govern on its own and we take this opportunity to reiterate that we have absolutely nothing to do with the ongoing vicious factional fighting taking place in Zanu-PF.
"In its desperation, Zanu-PF has sought to rope us into their factional circus in order to divert attention away from more pressing national issues such as the collapsing economy as well as the collapsing health delivery system," the party said in a statement.
It said the party had recently held a successful congress that came up with far-reaching resolutions aimed at strengthening the party's structures, as well as refocusing and re-energising its institutional framework.
"We are ready to form the next government that is capable of rescuing Zimbabwe from the prevailing socio economic trepidation and suffering solely caused by years of Zanu-PF misrule, corruption and mis-governance.
"As such, the MDC does not need to work in conjunction with any Zanu-PF faction in order to save the country from the prevailing unprecedented human suffering," it added.
At the same time, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC dismissed outright attempts by State media yesterday to link the party with the beleaguered VP.
Analyst Maxwell Saungweme said while people did not necessarily sympathise with Mujuru, as "she represents Zanu-PF and the rot this party is about", the propaganda in State media had now become too comical and far-fetched to be believable.
He said claims by The Herald yesterday that the VP was talking to the MDC was "one of the many hopeless attempts by desperate politicians who have control over that paper" to discredit Mujuru.
"So many such hard-to-believe stories have appeared in the paper in the past weeks and one knows that most of these stories are fallacious.
"If Mujuru wants to merge with any political party, why meet Sikhala who no longer heads any party? Why not meet Tsvangirai, (MKD leader Simba) Makoni, (NCA interim leader Lovemore) Madhuku, (Zapu leader Dumiso) Dabengwa etc.
"It's sad that The Herald, just like the First Lady (Grace Mugabe), is choosing to sink so low, abusing its status as a State paper to report fiction, and cover raw obscenities from Grace, while throwing all media ethics through the window.
"I feel for those poor journalists at The Herald for they are endangering their careers by peddling outright lies and political hogwash just to please a First Lady who everyone can see is failing to manage her illusions of grandeur," Saungweme said.
University of Kent law lecturer, Alex Magaisa, said although he was no longer privy to matters within the MDC, the story in The Herald smacked of "cheap propaganda designed to tarnish the name of Joice Mujuru in the eyes of Zanu-PF supporters".
"One of the tactics in this battle is to soil and destroy Mujuru's reputation, and one way to do so is to claim that she is a sell-out. This is the label that has been used against the MDC parties in the past and it therefore makes sense for those fighting Mujuru to claim that she is an associate of the MDC-T.
"Recall also that this claim was already on the table, having been made by Grace Mugabe a few weeks ago. The whole aim is to destroy her reputation.
"Nevertheless, I cannot see why the opposition parties should not be exploring alliances with those who are out of favour in Zanu-PF. It makes political sense to combine forces with those who are disgruntled with the Zanu-PF way of doing things. Politics is about making strategic alliances and exploiting opportunities when they present themselves," Magaisa said.
On its part, the MDC dismissed outright attempts by the State-controlled controlled media "to link us to one of the factions involved in the vicious dogfight to succeed the 90-year-old Robert Mugabe".
"In its issue of Thursday, November 20, 2014, The Herald leads with a false and malicious story that gives the impression that the MDC is in talks with the Zanu-PF faction led by Vice President Joice Mujuru and that a deal had been agreed upon in terms of which president Morgan
Tsvangirai will have a junior role in a unity government.
"Nothing could be further from the truth. We are a popular political party that is ready to govern on its own and we take this opportunity to reiterate that we have absolutely nothing to do with the ongoing vicious factional fighting taking place in Zanu-PF.
"In its desperation, Zanu-PF has sought to rope us into their factional circus in order to divert attention away from more pressing national issues such as the collapsing economy as well as the collapsing health delivery system," the party said in a statement.
It said the party had recently held a successful congress that came up with far-reaching resolutions aimed at strengthening the party's structures, as well as refocusing and re-energising its institutional framework.
"We are ready to form the next government that is capable of rescuing Zimbabwe from the prevailing socio economic trepidation and suffering solely caused by years of Zanu-PF misrule, corruption and mis-governance.
"As such, the MDC does not need to work in conjunction with any Zanu-PF faction in order to save the country from the prevailing unprecedented human suffering," it added.
Source - dailynews
