Prof Jonathan Moyo says 'Zimbabwe to meet digitisation deadline in June'

INFORMATION, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo yesterday said he had never said the best way to destroy Zanu-PF was from within, saying his statement on reforming the revolutionary party had been taken out of context by "uneducated media minds".

Prof Moyo, who is also Zanu-PF Secretary for Science and Technology, said this while officiating at the Zimbabwe National Editors' Forum annual general meeting held in Harare, as he challenged the journalists present to go into the archives to see if he ever uttered such a statement.

"It will be absolutely nonsensical for a person like me to say the best way of destroying Zanu-PF is from within," he said.

"That's a drunkard's statement, it's nonsense. It's a statement that can be said by some village pumpkin that has never come close to a classroom.

"I don't need you to tell me the dangers of such a statement. I have never said that and will never, ever, no one will ever find anything like that from records, we speak from records, we criticise from records and we never run away from what we have said that is on record because it's contextual. But for the benefit of you, what I said was that the best way to reform Zanu-PF is from within.

"Now, if your uneducated mind translates reform as destruction, to hell with you. That is not my problem and I want to repeat that very statement that the best way to reform Zanu-PF is from within, come and join us," he said.

Prof Moyo said events at the Zanu-PF 6th National People's Congress had shown that the party can only be reformed from within.

"We had a congress that reformed Zanu-PF," he said.

"We have moved from electing our vice presidents and second secretaries and national chairman to have them appointed by the president so that we can have one centre of power.

"We reformed from multiple centres of power to one centre of power. That is reform.

"Do you think you can achieve that from outside Zanu-PF?"

The amendments to the Zanu-PF constitution followed attempts by former Vice President Dr Joice Mujuru and her putschist cabal to undermine the President's authority by creating multiple centres of power as part of their drive to unconstitutionally unseat him.

Turning to other issues, Prof Moyo said Government was committed to assisting media organisations following the myriad challenges that most of them are facing.

"We want to find ways of helping the media in Zimbabwe," he said.

"We want to help the sector to be viable. The viability of the sector is a major concern for us.

"We are very concerned that virtually all media houses are facing serious viability problems and if those problems are not addressed by all of us, especially by us on the policy side, we are going to see the disappearance of many media houses, especially newspapers."

Prof Moyo said Zimbabwe was on course to meet the International Telecommunications Union deadline to digitalise transmission by June 17.

"The official launch of the digitalisation programme will take place within the next week or so. A lot of work has been done quietly and the money has been found," he said.

"There will be a major announcement and it will start creating opportunities right away even for some people who are non-media workers."

Prof Moyo said that alignment of media laws to the new Constitution would be complete before the end of the year.

Zinef chairman Brian Mangwende said it was important that efforts be initiated to improve the media environment in the country.

"Given the political goodwill demonstrated by the Government toward a new engagement framework for the media, it remains imperative that there be holistic efforts toward further professionalising journalism and further democratising the media environment in Zimbabwe," he said.