Maravi

(HERALD) Ndlovu lashes out at BBC

Ndlovu lashes out at BBC
Herald Reporter

GOVERNMENT yesterday lashed out at the British Broadcasting Corporation for discrediting the June 27 presidential election run-off and the three House of Assembly by-elections by alleging that the polls will not be free and fair. Information and Publicity Minister Cde Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said the BBC reporter who recently sneaked in and out of Zimbabwe was alleging that the ruling party was responsible for the violence.

He said it was ironic that the BBC did not interview the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission or anyone from Zanu-PF for balanced coverage.

"That is what I call the gunboat of British journalism in which they see only one side of the story.

"They are trying to discredit the elections by saying the run-off result should not be recognised if President Mugabe wins," he said.

Cde Ndlovu said the BBC was also alleging that people in rural communities were being forced to attend Zanu-PF re-orientation programmes but this was not true.

"These are public workshops being conducted by seasoned politicians who are explaining to the people what the Government has achieved since independence and what it is doing to address the economic challenges," he said.

"Our approach is to educate the people on the illegal economic sanctions as some of them were duped to vote for the MDC in the March elections. We owe it to our people and to our youths that we should have programmes for self-sustenance."

Cde Ndlovu castigated some non-governmental organisations which he said were in the habit of politicising food and campaigning for the opposition.

This, he said, had forced the Government to cancel the licences of all NGO’s before asking them to re-register, in a move meant to weed out organisations that were meddling in dirty politics. Cde Ndlovu said some manufacturers were even supplying the NGO’s with basic commodities while starving the formal market.

"However, there are some NGO’s which have been doing a good job by working with the Government structures and we have no problems with such organisations.

"But there are some NGO’s who have been evading the Government then you wonder what is their motive if they do not want to work with the Government of the day," he said.

Labels: BBC, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 7:03 PM