Dube's smear campaign of Morgan Tsvangirai

Dear Editor,

A recent facebook discussion has exposed MDC-Ncube's spokesperson, Nhlanhla Dube's smear campaign of Morgan Tsvangirai by peddling falsehoods and malicious information about the Prime Minister, who is considered by many analysts as the only threat to dictator Mugabe in the Zimbabwean presidential elections planned for later this year.

A facebook message was posted on Nhlanhla's facebook wall questioning Nhlanhla's comments on Tsvangirai's position that it was some underhand military forces that was responsible for withholding results in the 2008 presidential election. Tsvangirai exonerated the secretariat for wrong doing. The author of the content posted onto Nhlanhla's wall had backed Tsvangirai, noting that it was a known fact that the military took over the tallying of results and withheld them in order to temper with them, and that while Tsvangirai had said the bulk of the Zec team were professional, he singled out the Acting Chairperson Joyce Kazembe who he said was not qualified to run the poll.

Nhlanhla then came guns-blazing, falsely accusing Tsvangirai for "speaking Zanu PF language that all those countries who imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe will not be invited to monitor the referendum or the national elections". I reminded him of the correct position that Tsvangirai had not said so according to all media reports I had read, but had instead, said that that was a Zanu PF position, and that the principals had not yet made a decision, which would be government position on international observers. I challenged him to give the forum a link to the article in which Tsvangirai had said so, but he backtracked and said his attack on Tsvangirai on a platform that reaches an international audience was now water under the bridge.

But why should a senior party official, a national spokesperson of a party that is hoping to form the next government, want to misinform the world about their opponents by wanting to attribute the opposite of the good statements they will have made? This shows a very high level of desperation of Nhlanhla or both him and his party.

As if that was not enough, Nhlanhla went ahead to defend his other lie that Morgan Tsvangirai had said the MDC-T was against devolution, saying that they had been informed that Tsvangirai had reiterated the same position while selling his party's position on the constitution in Bulawayo. This was despite media reports that Tsvangirai had said the MDC-T wanted devolution. Interestingly, Nhlanhla went on to say Tsvangirai message against devolution was well covered in the newspapers. He was challenged to produce the evidence of coverage, but did not manage to do so.

Nhlanhla Dube's insistence on backing his self-manufactured lies is nothing but a deliberate attempt to soil Morgan Tsvangirai's image ahead of elections with the aim of allowing Mugabe to win the election as he is well aware that his party's President, Professor Ncube, has not chance at all to win in this election. Nhlanhla Dube wants the continued repression that has been exerted on the people by Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF to last forever. Naturally, opponents in an election have to score points against each other, but when a National Spokesperson of a contesting party creates falsehoods meant to tarnish other contestants, it raises a lot of credibility issues. Who in their right frame of mind would trust a party of liars?

If Professor Ncube is serious about the way he wants his party portrayed, he should find a quick replacement of Nhlanhla ahead of the elections. The man has dented the chances of his party in the coming elections. By creating and peddling falsehoods ahead of elections, MDC-Ncube are, instead, helping prop up Tsvangirai's chances of winning, and I believe if an opinion poll is to be carried out today, Tsvangirai will be miles ahead of the pack.

Thank you, Nhlanhla Dube for exposing yourself for who you are.

Benjamin Chitate
New Zealand