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(TALKZIMBABWE) MDC-T dismisses in-country violence reports

MDC-T dismisses in-country violence reports
By: TH-TZG reporters
Posted: Tuesday, August 10, 2010 9:18 am

CONSTITUTIONAL and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga has urged civil society and foreign based online media to desist from peddling falsehoods about political intimidation and violence during the ongoing outreach programme.

Minister Matinenga, who is from the MDC-T party led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, also dismissed reports that the public media were refusing to publish Copac publicity materials.

Responding to questions at a media briefing in Harare last Thursday, Minister Matinenga said the constitutional outreach programme was progressing well and there was no violence or intimidation as reported by some online and international media.

"It’s not good for us to talk about intimidation. Let’s have the facts and I would have appreciated if you had these incidents documented for us to investigate them," he said.

Minister Matinenga said the suspension of the outreach meetings in some parts of Manicaland recently was a result of a dispute between a rapporteur and a team leader contrary to some media reports that it was due to intimidation and violence.

"It is not intimidation at all. There has been disagreement between a rapporteur and a team leader," said the minister.

He said his personal experience in Binga revealed that the outreach programme was progressing well and the situation was the same in different parts of the country.

Recently minister Matinenga disputed a report by pirate radio station, SW Radio, as incorrect.

On a show entitled Behind The Headlines, a Zimbabwean interviewer and MDC-T activist, Mr Lance Guma, suggested there was violence and chanting of slogans during Copac outreach programmes to which Minister Matinenga responded: "The information which I have would appear to be different from what you are giving me."

Mr Matinenga added: "I have not received the reports on what has been happening in Bindura. In fact ... I was speaking to a reporter about 30 minutes ago who had some very encouraging comments about what was happening in Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East and Manicaland."

When Mr Guma, who reports from the United Kingdom, suggested that there was indeed violence and disruptions caused by Zanu-PF, Minister Matinenga responded, "I ... am unable to comment or to be drawn to make a comment in respect of the incident you describe because I simply have not received a report on it and I therefore am unable, from your report, to then seek to apportion blame. I can’t do that. "

Yesterday Minister Matinenga said people were attending meetings that were lasting for up to three hours, expressing their views freely without violence and intimidation.

He dismissed allegations that the State media were refusing to run Copac advertisements, adding that the constitutional body had limited resources. He said this had seen few publicity materials on both print and electronic media. The minister challenged all media houses across the board to be proactive and freely advertise the constitution making process materials.

"We cannot only rely on Copac to advertise this programme because it has a limited budget.

"Any member of the media both from the State-run and private media are free to advertise this national project," he said.

Minister Matinenga said between July 19 and July 31, Copac held 1 560 meetings that were attended by 288 951 people.

He said the attendance figure might be higher because some stations had not submitted their statistics.

Minister Matinenga said he was confident that Treasury and the donor community would continue to support the project to its finality.

The outreach programme started on June 15 across the country, but Harare and Bulawayo are yet to contribute what they want to be included in the new constitution.

Labels: ERIC MATINENGA, MDC, PROPAGANDA

posted by MrK @ 6:02 PM