News / National
Facebook, Twitter reacts to Jonathan Moyo's 'arrival'
11 Feb 2015 at 06:56hrs | Views
FACEBOOK and Twitter yesterday energetically reacted to Information Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo's unlikely arrival on social networks.
Prof Moyo admitted on Monday that his appointment as Zanu-PF's secretary for science and technology by President Robert Mugabe in December last year had forced him to back down from his oft repeated stance that he would not join social media.
Join, he did, and yesterday the minister gave his followers on Facebook (Prof Jonathan Moyo) and Twitter (@profjnmoyo) a glimpse of what to expect as he waded into the debate over spot fines for motorists.
Writing on Facebook last night, Prof Moyo - almost apologetic - said he had spent most of his day in cabinet before offering his view on a story that dominated newspaper headlines: Justice Bere's comments at the 2015 Legal Year High Court Circuit opening in Masvingo that spot fines imposed on motorists by the police were illegal.
"Currently," the judge said on Monday, "there's no legal framework justifying the manner in which these collections are done . . . There's no law which compels a motorist to deposit a fine with the police if he desires to challenge the alleged offence, but it looks like the motorists are being made to pay these fines on our public roads irrespective of their attitude to the charges."
The judge's comments excited motorists, but Prof Moyo urged caution.
"I see Justice Francis Bere has rocked the neighbourhood big time. His comments that ZRP collection of spot fines from motorists is illegal has torched a storm. Understandably, the motoring public has been over the moon in celebration of Justice Bere's judicial sentiment expressed yesterday when he was officially opening the 2015 Masvingo High Court Legal Year," he wrote.
"Notwithstanding any legal or even factual merits that Justice Bere's statement might have, it must be said that it isn't in the interest of the rule of law or of justice that the judge was apparently willing and happy to misdirect himself to the point of making a very serious personal pronouncement that had the false ring of a court ruling.
"With all respect to the honourable judge, it was wrong for him to use a public forum to make statements that sounded like a court ruling or judgment outside court; without a case before him; without examining competing facts; without hearing the affected or interested parties including ZRP and without hearing legal arguments from lawyers representing the contending parties in the issue.
"In my respectful view, what Justice Bere said about ZRP spot fines was no better than a speech which was unfortunately presented in the language and with the contrived authority of a court judgement. Not surprisingly, that speech has been misunderstood as such.
Therefore the Police are right to feel aggrieved.
"This doesn't mean that the Police have no case to answer but simply that they haven't been lawfully made to answer in a court of law. And so the jury is still out as to whether ZRP spot fines are illegal. That can only be tested and determined in court."
Puncturing the public excitement further, he said "Justice Bere's premature and misplaced speech has most probably irreparably harmed the prospect of having that test determined in favour of motorists whose jubilation is certain to be short lived as they face continued grief on the treacherous roads."
Prof Moyo's arrival on social media elicited quite a response, and by last night his Facebook page had been 'liked' by over 3,000 people while on Twitter over 2,100 were 'following' him.
Blogger Arther Tichaona, writing on Media263, said: "This marks an interesting turn of events in the minister's attitude towards digital platforms? It's a realisation by Prof Moyo and Zanu-PF that it's a sink or swim world, insofar as influencing and controlling public debate is concerned.
"The development has much political significance and signals the desire to influence public discourse and set the agenda on the new frontier, on social media publics."
Joel Guy Chabata said on Facebook: "Thank you for finally making this move Prof. I've always wished you were available on social media being a Minister of Information in the government of Zimbabwe. I hope and pray this is going to afford us fruitful exchanges of information and ideas . . .''
Prof Moyo admitted on Monday that his appointment as Zanu-PF's secretary for science and technology by President Robert Mugabe in December last year had forced him to back down from his oft repeated stance that he would not join social media.
Join, he did, and yesterday the minister gave his followers on Facebook (Prof Jonathan Moyo) and Twitter (@profjnmoyo) a glimpse of what to expect as he waded into the debate over spot fines for motorists.
Writing on Facebook last night, Prof Moyo - almost apologetic - said he had spent most of his day in cabinet before offering his view on a story that dominated newspaper headlines: Justice Bere's comments at the 2015 Legal Year High Court Circuit opening in Masvingo that spot fines imposed on motorists by the police were illegal.
"Currently," the judge said on Monday, "there's no legal framework justifying the manner in which these collections are done . . . There's no law which compels a motorist to deposit a fine with the police if he desires to challenge the alleged offence, but it looks like the motorists are being made to pay these fines on our public roads irrespective of their attitude to the charges."
The judge's comments excited motorists, but Prof Moyo urged caution.
"I see Justice Francis Bere has rocked the neighbourhood big time. His comments that ZRP collection of spot fines from motorists is illegal has torched a storm. Understandably, the motoring public has been over the moon in celebration of Justice Bere's judicial sentiment expressed yesterday when he was officially opening the 2015 Masvingo High Court Legal Year," he wrote.
"Notwithstanding any legal or even factual merits that Justice Bere's statement might have, it must be said that it isn't in the interest of the rule of law or of justice that the judge was apparently willing and happy to misdirect himself to the point of making a very serious personal pronouncement that had the false ring of a court ruling.
"In my respectful view, what Justice Bere said about ZRP spot fines was no better than a speech which was unfortunately presented in the language and with the contrived authority of a court judgement. Not surprisingly, that speech has been misunderstood as such.
Therefore the Police are right to feel aggrieved.
"This doesn't mean that the Police have no case to answer but simply that they haven't been lawfully made to answer in a court of law. And so the jury is still out as to whether ZRP spot fines are illegal. That can only be tested and determined in court."
Puncturing the public excitement further, he said "Justice Bere's premature and misplaced speech has most probably irreparably harmed the prospect of having that test determined in favour of motorists whose jubilation is certain to be short lived as they face continued grief on the treacherous roads."
Prof Moyo's arrival on social media elicited quite a response, and by last night his Facebook page had been 'liked' by over 3,000 people while on Twitter over 2,100 were 'following' him.
Blogger Arther Tichaona, writing on Media263, said: "This marks an interesting turn of events in the minister's attitude towards digital platforms? It's a realisation by Prof Moyo and Zanu-PF that it's a sink or swim world, insofar as influencing and controlling public debate is concerned.
"The development has much political significance and signals the desire to influence public discourse and set the agenda on the new frontier, on social media publics."
Joel Guy Chabata said on Facebook: "Thank you for finally making this move Prof. I've always wished you were available on social media being a Minister of Information in the government of Zimbabwe. I hope and pray this is going to afford us fruitful exchanges of information and ideas . . .''
Source - chronicle
