When even the gullible can no longer be fooled

The west has once more attempted to stain the beautiful name of Zimbabwe with sordid grime. Typical of previous attempts, the latest was once more a miserably monumental letdown that left Lars Ronnars, the Swedish ambassador, with a fetid egg on his face.

Early this month, the Swedish embassy forwarded a note verbal to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reporting of a purported abduction of Shepard Mzemba, the ambassador's chauffer. According to the embassy, the alleged abduction occurred at a funeral wake at Damafalls, Ruwa.

"The Embassy of Sweden presents its compliments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Zimbabwe and has the honour to request for the Ministry's assistance in tracing the whereabouts of the Embassy's local employee, Mr Shepard Mzemba, who is the Ambassador's chauffeur," wrote the embassy in their note verbal No. 90/2014 dated 1 October 2014.

"Mr Mzemba was abducted at a funeral in Ruwa on Tuesday midnight, 30 September 2014," the embassy added. However, investigations established that Mzemba, who resides in Damafalls was lawfully picked by police for questioning over a murder case.

The embassy was very categorical in its report. It is quite strange that the embassy rushed to conclude that Mzemba was abducted before investigations were even instituted. In fact, the embassy usurped the role of ZR Police by investigating the matter before taking it to its own court of justice where presumably the ambassador was the judge and jury before delivering a verdict of abduction, which the local police was supposed to embrace as given by baas Ronnars. Now that Mzemba is linked to a murder case, God knows what account the ambassador is going to give! How is the ambassador going to repair the dent he has already etched on the country through the malicious falsehoods?

It is apparent that the scheme was meant to paint the country as an unsafe destination for tourists and investors. Perhaps the embassy had already raised a false safety alarm with its home government. It's fortunate that the rabid media had not gotten wind of these falsehoods. But then, complicit as some of them have become, it would be folly to expect much.  While other envoys are busy identifying business opportunities in Zimbabwe for their country's businesspeople, Mr Ronnars is busy scaring away potential investors from his country through false safety alarm.

Zimbabwe is a country of vast opportunities that no prudent diplomat would resist exploiting. The businesspeople in Sweden and the general citizenry will surely judge Mr Ronnars harshly one day for denying them a fair share of these vast opportunities. He is doing a grave disservice to his country in a bid to protect criminals. Ordinarily, a diplomat is appointed on the strength of visible diplomatic qualities. The calibre of Mr Ronnars defies this thinking. He seems to have been appointed based on his political linkages. If not, then he is just an incompetent envoy in oversized robes who needs an urgent recall. He seems besotted with pursuing vindictive agendas of his faraway western kith and kin and has, thus, become oblivious of the opportunities right in front of his hawkish nose.

In all his wisdom or lack of, how can you abduct a person at a funeral in the full glare of mourners? Mr Ronnars was just trying to be mischievous. His behaviour leaves room for speculation that he could have come with a brief to tarnish Zimbabwe. He wants to feed his gullible listeners that Zimbabwe does not uphold human rights. Mr Ronnars should be reminded that the weapon of mass deception is a hackneyed tactic that failed to work in Zimbabwe. Sweden must replace him in order to reset diplomatic relationship with Zimbabwe.

It is not the first time that such lies are used to erode the country's credibility in human rights and smear national processes. Just after the harmonised elections, the former British ambassador, Deborah Bronnert made some inflammatory, sensational and inciting allegations that could have resulted in the erosion of trust in our electoral system. She lied that 10 000 voters were assisted to vote in a constituency where 17 000 voters cast their ballot.

 Imagine 10 000 voters! That could have taken a couple of days to assist 10 000 voters. The problem remains that the people who are posted here to do the hatchet jobs are not smart. Their falsehoods are hard to swallow. Even a primary school pupil can see through their naked lies. Unfortunately, our own gullible MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai fell for the lies hook, line and sinker.  Tsvangirai went on to incorporate the assertions in the court application he lodged with the Concourt seeking annulment of the election results. Not that Zimbabwe has come to expect any more or less from a factional leader of Tsvangirai's calibre.

The western countries' actions on Zimbabwe are based on the misinformation they are fed by their envoys and media. Thank God, Bronnert was recalled because of these barefaced lies. The diplomats must not mistaken their diplomatic immunity for diplomatic impunity and impurity. Can a Zimbabwean ambassador peddle the same lies without a serious diplomatic fall out in Washington or Stockholm? When one looks at it closely, one discovers that western emissaries apparently are hewn from the same tapestry whose faulty thread runs from Downing Street up the Empire building to high hell.

Before the curtains dropped on his tour of duty, the former Germany ambassador, Mr Albrecht Conze cooked up a politically motivated attack story, which he attributed to the so-called Zanu PF thugs. The fact of the matter was that, he was indeed mugged but purely on a criminal motive. Like Bronnert who failed to identify the alleged constituency, Mr Conze failed to supply evidence that linked Zanu PF youths to the attack. He had to swallow his pride before Zanu PF national chairman, Cde Simon Khaya Moyo and apologised profusely to the people of Zimbabwe.

The west seems to enjoy the songs of deception from their emissaries. Those who tell the real Zimbabwean story are loathed to the bone. The former EU ambassador, Aldo Dell'Ariccia, was nearly eaten alive after he categorically stated that there was no leadership crisis in Zimbabwe. Lo and behold, Europe could have none of that! Only his ancestors know whether he was given his terminal benefits on returning to his country.
 
Zimbabwe has developed a thick skin against such cheap lies. There have been stories of BrandinaTadyanemhandu, a 53-year-old Magunje woman who was allegedly beheaded by Zanu PF supporters in front of two of her daughters, aged 10 and 17, because her son was an MDC activist. The architect of the story, a discredited scribe called Basildon Peta, has lived with the ignominy of this falsehood that made headlines. There was also a traumatising story in the Sunday Times about an11-month-old baby, Blessing Mabhena whose tiny legs were alleged to have been shuttered after being flung down with force on the concrete floor by Zanu PF supporters. It proved to be nothing but a lie.

The good part of it is that most of the visitors who set their feet in Zimbabwe end up testifying to the hospitality, peace and tranquillity abundantly prevailing in Zimbabwe. Thus, the lies no longer have takers at all.