Moyo’s visit ‘just a happy coincidence’

GOVERNMENT’S announcement on Wednesday that it plans to expropriate commercial farms and the arrival of the Zimbabwean Minister of State for Information, Jonathan Moyo on the same day was purely coincidental, say ministers of the two countries.

Moyo and Namibia’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting Nangolo Mbumba insisted on Friday that there was no connection between Moyo’s visit and Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab announcement on national television that Government would begin to expropriate white-owned farms. They were speaking at a press conference held at the Office of the Prime Minister.Moyo faced a range of questions including whether he was looking for property in Namibia, anti-media laws in Zimbabwe and the vexing land issue.Gurirab’s announcement on expropriation came on the same day that Moyo arrived in Windhoek for what has been described as a working visit.Answering a question at the press conference, Moyo said he did not “see a connection” with an earlier question that he might have been in Namibia to buy property in case it became difficult for him to stay in Zimbabwe.”It was pure, pure coincidence, but a happy one for me,” said Moyo, adding that Namibia and Zimbabwe “shared a common understanding of our societies”.Moyo said he was happy to hear Gurirab’s statement personally rather than having to rely on newspapers.The Zimbabwean information minister, widely regarded as President Robert Mugabe’s propaganda chief, was in the country for five days, visiting mainly Government-funded media such as Nampa, New Era and NBC.He and Mbumba signed an agreement allowing for closer co-operation between State media in the two countries.Speaking about the agreement, Moyo said just as Africans were “our own liberators, today we have to be our own story-tellers”.Moyo has advocated news exchanges between agencies in southern African countries, arguing that foreign news organisations had been demonising rather than aiding development in Africa.Zimbabwe has consistently received bad publicity since Mugabe introduced what was called a “fast-track” land reform.However, the land reform policy has been seen as a political ploy to destroy anti-government activists calling for constitutional change and a limit to presidential powers.The land reform programme in Zimbabwe is said to have led to the collapse of the economy with investors pulling out or staying away amid accusations that it was mainly the ruling elite and Mugabe cronies who have benefited.Asked whether he intended to buy property in Namibia, Moyo said:”I will be on the look-out for property here any time.It is such a wonderful place, but I wish that were true.You have a tradition of manufacturing stories and your question is an example of that tradition.You even suggested that the President [Mugabe] was on the look-out for property here, and I’m sure we will be on the look-out for properties here until the end of time”.When Mbumba was asked whether Namibia intended to adopt anti-media laws as had happened in Zimbabwe, he said the Cabinet would be guided by the Namibian Constitution, depending on “challenges” they faced.”If we have men abusing their wives, we will make laws to restrict them,” said Mbumba.Moyo said he was “surprised” that the reporter’s question “characterised” Zimbabwean law as anti-media.According to Moyo, the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act was modelled on similar laws in Sweden.Media laws in Zimbabwe have been used to clamp down on news organisations critical of the Mugabe regime.Scores of journalists have been hauled before courts for publishing articles that, for example, exposed the President’s extravagance.The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) denounced Moyo’s visit to Namibia.The NSHR likened him to Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler’s propagandist, and also accused him of being “responsible for the supervision of widespread media rights and human rights abuses”.They were speaking at a press conference held at the Office of the Prime Minister. Moyo faced a range of questions including whether he was looking for property in Namibia, anti-media laws in Zimbabwe and the vexing land issue. Gurirab’s announcement on expropriation came on the same day that Moyo arrived in Windhoek for what has been described as a working visit. Answering a question at the press conference, Moyo said he did not “see a connection” with an earlier question that he might have been in Namibia to buy property in case it became difficult for him to stay in Zimbabwe. “It was pure, pure coincidence, but a happy one for me,” said Moyo, adding that Namibia and Zimbabwe “shared a common understanding of our societies”. Moyo said he was happy to hear Gurirab’s statement personally rather than having to rely on newspapers. The Zimbabwean information minister, widely regarded as President Robert Mugabe’s propaganda chief, was in the country for five days, visiting mainly Government-funded media such as Nampa, New Era and NBC. He and Mbumba signed an agreement allowing for closer co-operation between State media in the two countries. Speaking about the agreement, Moyo said just as Africans were “our own liberators, today we have to be our own story-tellers”. Moyo has advocated news exchanges between agencies in southern African countries, arguing that foreign news organisations had been demonising rather than aiding development in Africa. Zimbabwe has consistently received bad publicity since Mugabe introduced what was called a “fast-track” land reform. However, the land reform policy has been seen as a political ploy to destroy anti-government activists calling for constitutional change and a limit to presidential powers. The land reform programme in Zimbabwe is said to have led to the collapse of the economy with investors pulling out or staying away amid accusations that it was mainly the ruling elite and Mugabe cronies who have benefited. Asked whether he intended to buy property in Namibia, Moyo said:”I will be on the look-out for property here any time. It is such a wonderful place, but I wish that were true. You have a tradition of manufacturing stories and your question is an example of that tradition. You even suggested that the President [Mugabe] was on the look-out for property here, and I’m sure we will be on the look-out for properties here until the end of time”. When Mbumba was asked whether Namibia intended to adopt anti-media laws as had happened in Zimbabwe, he said the Cabinet would be guided by the Namibian Constitution, depending on “challenges” they faced. “If we have men abusing their wives, we will make laws to restrict them,” said Mbumba. Moyo said he was “surprised” that the reporter’s question “characterised” Zimbabwean law as anti-media. According to Moyo, the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act was modelled on similar laws in Sweden. Media laws in Zimbabwe have been used to clamp down on news organisations critical of the Mugabe regime. Scores of journalists have been hauled before courts for publishing articles that, for example, exposed the President’s extravagance. The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) denounced Moyo’s visit to Namibia. The NSHR likened him to Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler’s propagandist, and also accused him of being “responsible for the supervision of widespread media rights and human rights abuses”.