Harare, August 31, 2022 (New Ziana) – THE Government on Wednesday urged the media to verify information before publishing, to avoid misleading the public as was the case with a recent NewsDay article, which was based on a meeting that never took place.
This was said by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
The reference article, published on August 29, claimed that Foreign Minister Fredrick Shava had told delegates during a courtesy call by Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission chairperson Elasto Mugwadi that Zimbabweans depended on Diaspora remittances for survival because the local economy was in a crisis.
“The article further claims that Minister Shava said Zimbabwe was working closely with South Africa to the latter’s decision when the Zimbabwe Special Exemption Permits expire in December,” Ministry spokesperson Livit Mugejo said in a rebuttal.
“The Ministry would want to put it on record that there was no such meeting that took place and therefore no such statements were made by the Honourable Minister as suggested in the report. Rampant speculations by media houses regarding the Zimbabwe Exemption Permits in South Africa and that they were due to expire in December 2022, are largely the cause for these false reports and claims.
“The report published by the NewsDay is based on a meeting that never happened and does not represent the Government position. It is unfortunate that the paper is pushing misleading information, which is not based on facts, but rather a generalised view without consultation
of the relevant authorities.
“The Ministry would like to urge the media to verify their stories before publishing, so that they don’t misinform the public and cause unnecessary anxiety.”
The local private press has been known to push an anti-government narrative at the behest of Western donors or in a bid to please Western funding organisations.
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