Kembo Mohadi slams propaganda cartels

ZANU- PF Second Secretary, Kembo Mohadi has slammed Western media and propaganda cartels using social media for causing unwarranted panic among citizens through their ill-conceived messaging on price increases caused by exchange rate volatility which is being blamed on speculations.

Mohadi made the remarks during the 2023 elections media training workshop held at the Zanu- PF headquarters in Harare yesterday.

Through an exchange programme, the Palestinian delegation and Zimbabwean delegates are sharing ideas on crucial topics on elections campaign management, journalism and news correspondence, multi-media and social media management in the election context as well as countering hegemonic Western narrative.

The exchange programme, which is between the Palestinian International Cooperation Agency (PICA) media experts and local delegates drawn from a wide spectrum of Zimbabwe's public and private media, is being hosted by the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services.

In a speech read on his behalf by Zanu- PF Secretary for Finance, Patrick Chinamasa, Mohadi also lashed out at businesses for being used as conduits to cause misery to Zimbabwean consumers despite being beneficiaries of the friendly monetary policies of the Second Republic such as the much-embraced Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) foreign exchange auction platform.

"Given  the  Western media  haemorrhage effected through the misrepresentation of developments in Zimbabwe particularly during election times, your visit is timely and underscores the clarion call for the media to engage in development-oriented reporting. Just last week social media was awash with content on price increases as a result of exchange rate speculations by their propaganda merchants," said Mohadi.

He said through their ill-conceived messaging, there were able to create unwarranted panics in the markets to the point of seeing certain price changes for basic commodities and goods.

"This is not a new strategy but it forms part of the adverse election patterns that Zimbabwe has witnessed in the  past," said Mohadi.

He said speculation in the exchange rate goes against the fundamental economic transformations that the Second Republic under the stewardship of President Mnangagwa has introduced.

"The business sector itself has been a beneficiary of the friendly monetary policies of the Second Republic such as the much-embraced RBZ foreign exchange auction platform. Our retailers have been beneficiaries of this generous gesture by His Excellency through the central bank," he said.

Mohadi said it was surprising that the same businesses had become the first conduits of the unwarranted panic with a ripple effect of creating an unjustified misery of the Zimbabwean populace.

"We know that this is borrowed from the script that made sanctions an evil reality to our people: to make the economy scream," he said.

On Tuesday while addressing the 369th Ordinary Session of the Zanu-PF Politburo in Harare, President Mnangagwa said machinations from the country's detractors to reverse successes registered by the Second Republic through asymmetrical warfare in the form of currency manipulation and price distortions will come to naught with perpetrators being brought to book.

The country is witnessing wanton price increases, especially following the proclamation of election dates.

Mohadi said the country's fortitude and resilience shall prevail over these machinations.

"This is why the Palestinian International Cooperation Agency is helping us to reframe the narrative and align our people to the truth. Our people are being robbed of the truth by the propaganda cartels of our well-known enemies. Herein lies the significance of the 2023 elections media training programme," he said.

Mohadi said after the country's sovereign assertive and successful land reform programme, it attracted demonising publicity globally.

"However, we are pleased that close friends like Palestine identify with us and do understand our past under a ruthless and racist western-sponsored colonial unrelenting system," he said.

Mohadi said Zimbabwe and Palestine's common circumstances birthed an era of strong political ties between the late former President Mugabe and the late Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) Leader, Yasser Arafat.

"From this era, we have remained ideologically synchronised and conscious of the need to deepen our relations. This is why Palestine has through its mission here in Harare been conducting various economic projects that are meant to enhance living standards for our communities," he said.

Mohadi said the media continues to play an indispensable role in the proper functioning of any democracy.

 "So, this exchange will definitely assist our media in disseminating often hard-to-come-by truthful information on developments happening in Zimbabwe and Palestine. Thank you Palestine. Thank you PICA," he said.

Mohadi said the exchange programme will go a long way in feeding into milestones for the August 23 harmonised elections.

"You would recall that these elections are a culmination of our massive reorganisation of the party, which was initiated through the cell verification exercise which registered all our members from the ward up to the districts. Thereafter, the National People's Conference was held, followed by the subsequent elective congress last year, and through these processes, the party was re-oiled for victory," he said.

"As  of  December last year, we would have  entered into the election and scooped an unquestionable and resounding victory. Such is the organisational gravitas of Zanu-PF which is alien to our foreign-sponsored opposition political bodies."