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Welshman Ncube MDC Alliance spokesperson responds to Newsday 'falsehoods'

by Staff Reporter
23 Dec 2017 at 15:12hrs | Views
Usually, I ignore false and fake  news published by media when it appears that the publication is founded on some mistake or misinformation but when fake and entirely false news is published deliberately  and maliciously I have a responsibility to set the record straight.

It is very unfortunate  that some journalists allow themselves to be on the payroll of dishonest overly ambitious and corrupt politicians who pay them for the publication of falsehoods. Zimbabwe needs a new beginning which cannot take place in the midst of some of this madness.

The outrageous falsehoods attributed to myself in the Newsday of 23 December 2017 under a story titled 'Tsvangirai Outfoxes Alliances Partners" written by one Obey Manaiti cannot go unchallenged. Manaiti wrote that, "The development has left Tsvangirai's coalition partners seething with anger, with MDC leader and Alliance Spokesperson Welshman Ncube accusing the former Prime Minister of being an untrustworthy partner bent on perpetuating Zanu PF's rule." This statement is a 100 percent work of fiction.

Nowhere in my interview with Manaiti did I mention the MDCT as a party or President Tsvangirai, let alone accuse him of being an untrustworthy partner bent on perpetuating ZANU PF rule. The deliberate falsehoods with regards to my response were designed to create the impression of non- existent fissures within txhe MDC Alliance leadership. This is totally irresponsible. This morning I took up this issue with Manaiti who could not give any rational explanation for inventing the falsehoods. I then took the matter up with the Newsday Editor Wisdom Mudzungairi who has promised to take corrective measures in the next publication of the paper on Monday. I look forward to seeing the corrective measures.

For the public record, my response to Manaiti when he called me for a comment in response to statements attributed to the MDCT Secretary Douglas Mwonzora alleging that the MDCT would field candidates in all constituencies notwithstanding the Alliance agreement whereby all partners were allocated seats was as follows:

The agreement on allocation of seats to all Alliance partners stands and assertions to the contrary by whoever made the claims to Manaiti were false.    The only negotiations that were still ongoing are on the allocation of local government ward seats.

I further referred Manaiti to the MDCT Director of Elections, Honourable  Zwizwai so that he could get the correct  position of  the MDCT on the  issue of primary elections since it is Honourable Zwizai's department which is responsible for the conduct of primary elections in the party. Cde Zwizai's response is tucked away at the very end of the mischievous fake news story.

It is very regrettable that  Manaiti chose to falsely  attribute to me statements which were entirely his own creation. Such mischief is particularly disappointing when coming from an independent newspaper as we expect them to be a step above the state captured public media.

The lack of professionalism by Manaiti in failing to report the truth is very disappointing and unfortunate. The editors of the Newsday,  an independent mainstream newspaper, should not allow the paper to  become a source of lies, false and fake news and blatant propaganda.

Source - Samkeliso Ndlovu