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Cde Mutasa

Cletus Mushanawani in MUTARE
ZANU-PF secretary for administration Cde Didymus Mutasa and under fire war veterans leader Cde Jabulani Sibanda on Sunday threatened the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services and The Herald with unspecified action for covering Amai Grace Mugabe’s “Meet The People Tour”.

Speaking at a site for the reburial of the remains of 82 fallen heroes discovered in a mineshaft at Matumba Six or Herbert Mine near Old Mutare Mission, the two said they were riled by the space given to the First Lady on ZBCTv news and the coverage she received in The Herald.

Cde Sibanda dubbed the public media a national security concern.

“KaMinistry kenyu aka (Ministry of Information) kakutanga kuita zvekuti its a national security concern,” he said. “Mukaona ministry yeHurumende, yebato ririkutonga ichipa after news an extra eight hours dzekutuka Vice President wenyika something is just wrong.

“Let me tell you, kaministry kenyu aka! Isu tichaita zvimwe pano. Isu we are guerrillas, hatina base. Even izvozvi hatina base semaguerrillas. Isu tinogara mumoyo yevanhu veZimbabwe and the nation is about to stand up and defend itself, the nation is about to stand up and defend itself.

“Macomrades ayo takaviga apo they fought for a Republic of Zimbabwe. We are not a cult, we are not a sect. Vanhu varikutivhara, havasi kuda kuti tione mudhara. Prepare that one day war veterans will march to see their patron. War veterans with mujibha, madzimambo edu, machechi edu, mayouths edu, vanhu vese, tiri varwi werusununguko. We are going to walk and hakuna mazuva akawanda tisati tadaro.”

Cde Sibanda said those calling for his ouster were day-dreaming.

“Don’t scold us and think we are stupid, no,” he said. “We know the conditions in our country. We know the direction of our revolution and we know the strength of our people.

“Vanhu vanomhanya kumaTV kuti tabvisa Jabu, kubvisa Jabu kupi? Vabvisa Jabu kuti ihembe here? Jabu haisi hembe. Handipfekwe nemunhu, ndiri hembe yako? I don’t want to waste time ndichitaura zvinhu zvisina basa. Problem iri kuPolitburo. Tava nevanhu vari kubvongodza muto nekuti kuregererwa havana kuguta. Vatanga zvimwe futi.”

Speaking at the same occasion Cde Mutasa said The Herald should continue writing whatever it wanted, but will not be bought.

“Handisi kuda kutaurisa nekuti ava varipo ava (referring to the media). Ndakagara kare ndichiramba kutaura navo, ivo vanozviziva. Ndikataurisa maningi vavakutoita kuti mapepa avo atengwe. Regai akadaro, Herald ichingoita murwi risina anotenga, asi mapepa ayo taiti isu mapepa ekunze ndoava kutengwa pamusana pezviri kutaurika mazuva ano,” Cde Mutasa said.

However, successive Zimbabwe All Media Products Survey results have always found The Herald streets ahead of the competition in terms of sales, circulation and readership. The country’s biggest daily outsells all its competitors combined.

Addressing the same gathering, Zanu-PF Manicaland provincial chairman Ambassador John Mvundura said people with sinister agendas were causing chaos in the party.