The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) really needs to put a stop to their Zanu-fication:

Wednesday, 22 June 2011

Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) statement on the barring of ZBC crew from covering an MDC-T rally in Gweru

The Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe is concerned by reports that rowdy youths allegedly belonging to the MDC-T barred a Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) news crew from covering the party’s rally at Mkoba Stadium in Gweru over the weekend, accusing the broadcaster of reporting negatively about their party.

The Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) condemns in the strongest terms the barring of the reporters from executing their mandate of reporting accurately and objectively to society.

It is an issue of serious concern that the youths, and anyone for that matter, should interfere with journalists who are only undertaking their professional duties be they from the private media or state media houses.

The VMCZ is also of the strong view that political parties need to revisit their understanding of Section 20 of Zimbabwe’s Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression and access to information. It is this section that makes the right of the Zimbabwean public and all media professionals to receive and impart information a fundamental human right and not a privilege.

Political parties are strongly urged to restrain their supporters to refrain from attacking journalists and media practitioners and for the supporters to tolerate divergence of views that exist in the Zimbabwean society.

It is against this background that VMCZ urges all political parties in Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans in general, who have a problem with a media story as is published by print or broadcast media in Zimbabwe to approach the VMCZ Media Complaints Committee to seek redress. Email info [at] vmcz [dot] co [dot] zw

All reported cases are dealt with under the VMCZ Code of Conduct which regulates the operations of the media in the country.

After the SADC Summit in South Africa this week, the media carried differing interpretations of the results of the meeting. Reports were seen to concentrate more on which party proved best, who got embarrassed, or whom the SADC team least liked. Analysts however, have said that the ordinary Zimbabwean emerged the winner from the recent SADC Summit. Read the story here

There are many reasons why the so-called “Mthwakazians” are a butt of many Zimbabwean political jokes, and you just have to ask yourself why the fight for a separate state or whatever keeps them in the papers is being taken to other “people from the region” who decided to follow their own political beliefs. You can see it here where the Speaker of Parliament, who they refer as “Laughmore”, is ridiculed by “Mthwakazians” who expect him to be in their corner simply because he is “from the region.”

And we read the other, the recently released Paul Siwela, demanding to meet President Robert Mugabe, but we all know the old man has other “more pressing” issues like how to cheat Father Time and remain a sprightly octogenarian for the forced poll. That the issues raised by federalists, devolutionists and other fringe pro-Matabeleland activists are legitimate, you just have to question their political savvy.

Zimbabwe’s useless Parliament. Isn’t Wednesday a golf day? You get what you vote for.

Being a Wednesday yesterday, the business of the House of Assembly was preceded by question and answer session where backbenchers quizzed Ministers about policies and programmes under their purview. Sadly, there were only three Ministers in the House during the session, namely; Deputy Prime Minister Professor Arthur Mutambara, the Minister of Finance Hon. Tendai Biti and the Minister of Public Works Hon. Joel Gabbuza. As a result, all questions with written notice were deferred. The House also debated a condolence motion on the death of Edgar Tekere.
- Excerpt from the Southern African Parliamentaru Support Trust Bulletin No 19

Mugabe’s Latest Gift to Zimbabwe: the Secret of Living Longer
Good news from Zimbabwe where, despite Western media reports of political crisis, economic stagnation and widespread poverty, the electoral roll indicates the country is actually one of the healthiest on earth. The October 2010 count finds 41,100 voters in Zimbabwe aged 100 or more – four times the number of centenarians in Britain, whose population is more than five times as large. Another 132,500 Zimbabwean voters are in their 90s; 16,800 Zimbabwean voters are also 110 years old, all of them, amazingly, born on New Year’s Day in 1901. Read more

Bulawayo Agenda reports that:

Johannesburg – Alleged clashes between ZANU PF and MDC-T activists temporarily disrupted a Zimbabwe Civic Society Press Conference in Sandton’s Devonshire Hotel. Reports are that ten ZANU PF activists swarmed into the press conference venue and ordered people who had gathered to move out. The hotel security personnel managed to quell the noise down so the  press conference could continue. The press conference is being held to brief the media on the Zimbabwe situation. Civic society is gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa ahead of the SADC Extraordinary Summit to discuss the crisis in Zimbabwe. The public media early this week reported that the major parties in the country were all ready to bus supporters to the summit.