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Political Editor

Zimbabwe will keep the re-engaging route with all nations open but will not be bullied into surrendering it’s sovereignty by Western countries that are working with local political activists to subvert a constitutionally elected Government, a cabinet Minister said.

Briefing journalists on Saturday, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Senator Monica Mutsvangwa said the arrest of Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume had nothing to do with corruption but is informed on facts that the two are inciting public violence to overthrow the Government, notwithstanding the dark cloud cast by the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.

She dismissed attempts by the US and her allies to sully the Second Republic’s image by concocting lies that Chin’ono was abducted when he was arrested under the country’s laws and is appearing in court.

Senator Mutsvangwa said what is disconcerting is that the US and it’s allies, bereft of all the facts surrounding the arrest of Chin’ono started to erroneously report that he had been arrested for exposing corruption when it is a fact that President Mnangagwa has made fighting corruption one of his key missions and has led from the front by firing summarily two cabinet ministers after they had been implicated in corruption.

“The Second Republic through Parliament has repealed AIPPA (Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act) which in the past was used against journalists and replaced it with a raft of legislation aimed at protecting the rights of journalist to practice their profession freely and the rights of citizens to information concerning the areas of interests and concern.

President Mnangagwa ordered an investigation into the Drax Affair before Hopewell Chin’ono started tweeting about it.

As a result of those investigations several arrests were made. The most prominent of those arrested was the former Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Obadiah Moyo who was charged and relieved of his duties as Minister of Health and Child Care.

“It is therefore false to state that no action has been taken against the corrupt individuals fingered by Hopewell’s expose,” said the Minister.

Minister Mutsvangwa added that several newspapers in the private media stable have been routinely writing about corruption with no arrest whatsoever of their journalists because they did not incite people to demonstrate as is the case with Chin’ono.

“The President has consistently shown his unflinching commitment to fighting corruption by setting up a robust legal infrastructure to fight this economic scourge. He has also spearheaded the funding of the Zimbabwe Anti-corruption Commission (ZACC) as a way of capacitating it to deliver on its constitutional mandate,” said the Minister.

Although Zimbabwe, like the black American George Floyd who was killed in cold blood by a ruthless white policeman, is failing to breathe because of the burden of illegal sanctions that were imposed by the US and it’s allies, the Second Republic, under President Mnangagwa has confounded doomsayers as his economic vision is beginning to take shape, with enormous strides in infrastructure development, energy provision and the stabilization of the exchange rate which has brought price stability.

These positive offshoots have rankled the country detractors who fear that any success story involving a self asserting nation will scuttle their selfish interest for continued domination of Africa.

“The mortal fear of Africa by the West is the economic success of a self sustainable African Nation. Zimbabwe now offers that prospect after braving through devastating sanctions by the West for two decades.

“No wonder the pandemonium being engendered by the fear of a good example.

“President Mnangagwa and his government are fully appraised on this evil agenda and devilish machinations.

“We will keep the course of re engagement while safeguarding the nation from a slide to chaos”.