Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s admission last week, that the farming equipment distributed at First Lady Grace Mugabe’s recent rallies belonged to the government, vindicates the private media’s brave demands for answers.
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Mnangagwa told Parliament that the equipment Grace doled out in Chimanimani and Rushinga during Zanu PF rallies was bought through a $98 million loan facility extended to Zimbabwe by Brazil.
The loan is part of the Zimbabwe-Brazil More Food for Africa Programme and Zimbabwean taxpayers would at some point have to part with money to repay the loan.
Not long ago, long-suffering taxpayers were forced to take responsibility for the $1,3 billion debt accrued by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe through quasi-fiscal activities that included farming equipment handed over to Zanu PF members.
Mnangagwa tried to hide behind words when MPs quizzed him with regards to the capacity under which Grace distributed the equipment from the Brazil facility.
He claimed that she “handed it over” and not donated the equipment.
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The VP claimed, unconvincingly, that Grace was doing government work, not Zanu PF business, where she is secretary for women’s affairs in the politburo.
Mnangagwa was saved from further embarrassing himself by Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda who refused to take supplementary questions from curious legislators.
The private media, including The Standard, was vilified by Mugabe’s supporters and government officials after it asked these legitimate questions in the wake of the controversial donations.
After the charade in Parliament, it is important to reemphasise that Grace had no business distributing government property at a political rally because she is not a public official.
We are tempted to believe it is the exposure of such abuse of government property that has angered Mugabe’s aides who have been throwing brickbats at the private media.
Information minister Chris Mushohwe convened meetings of publishers and editors of the country’s media organisations where he expressed displeasure on the coverage of the First Family by the private media.
The ministry presented a sample of headlines by the country’s main privately-owned newspapers, claiming they represented a systematic onslaught against the First Family and Zanu PF.
He suggested that the newspapers should instead focus on the hunger situation in the country and climate change. The minister, who is new in his portfolio, tried in a subtle way to set the agenda for the media so that it ignores excesses by those connected to the ruling party such as the First Lady.
That brazen attempt to censor newspapers is not acceptable in a democracy and Mushohwe should be told that it is not government’s business to determine what stories the media prioritises.
The market is the only legitimate arbiter when it comes to the business sense of the headlines the newspapers choose to run with and that should be the least of Mushohwe’s worries.
Zanu PF has never embraced press freedom, as its track record since independence clearly illustrates, but it would be futile to try and turn the private media into lapdogs of an uncaring and blundering ruling elite.
Meanwhile, legislators must continue to demand answers about Grace’s disregard of the Constitution through her unlawful donations at partisan events.
The Ministry of Agriculture must be made to account for all the equipment bought using the Brazil loan and reassure the nation that all Zimbabweans, regardless of political affiliation, would benefit from the facility.
Zimbabweans are tired of the partisan distribution of State resources, which has become a daily occurrence, especially when it comes to food aid.
Mugabe took an oath of office to serve all Zimbabweans, including those that did not vote for his party in the last elections and he should never abdicate that responsibility under whatever circumstances.
