Lie-O-Meter – State Witnesses
Posted by ZDN on November 27, 2009
Week Ending 27 November 2009
The vote for champion liars of the week was unanimous: the various state witnesses brought by AG Tomana before the High Court in the Roy Bennett treason trial. The lies and inconsistencies got to be so much that it elicited laughter from the courtroom, confirming the entire thing is just one big farce. Moving on, Moyo was back on form in the Zimbabwe Independent after a hiatus, and what can we say, we missed his crazy ramblings! Tafataona “Taffy” Mahoso got stuck in another wild, exhausting rant in the Sunday Mail, and went so far as to say pirate radio stations and sanctions are akin to direct military invasion. Come again? And the state media, well, read below to witness their signature inanity. We, as always, set the record straight.
The Lie
Bennett Trial: Chief superintendent Jame Makone said superintendent Arnold Zorodzai Dhliwayo had recorded all the weapons found at Peter Hitschmann’s house.
The Reality
Dhliwayo himself admitted on the stand that he only took an inventory of about half the weapons, as anything that might explode was left in the hands of military experts, evidence that the ‘firearms’ could have been tampered with. Observers say Dhliwayo was constantly caught off guard and had obviously been coached to lie on behalf of Tomana’s office. Well, he learnt from the best is all we can say!
The Lie
Police officer Michael Joseph Nyakatawa: Hitschmann was never tortured and “freely gave his information to the State.”
The Reality
The entire case is one big joke, and this only adds to it! Hitschmann says investigators tortured him till he lost consciousness, forcing him to make a confession implicating Bennett. Sounds exactly like something the Zanu-PF would do.
The Lie
Jonathan Moyo: “…an emerging and orchestrated MDC T propaganda ploy whose treacherous purpose is to brand by definition as “racist” anyone who criticises former Rhodie whites who, like Bennett, hold key and very influential positions in the MDC T.”
The Reality
Ever heard the saying “flogging a dead horse”? It’s not okay to consistently accuse others of racism when you exhibit it in the same sentence (Rhodie whites?!). Come on Moyo, show some self-awareness!
The Lie
Moyo: …to expect Bennett to serve as a government minister in Zimbabwe today is as unacceptable as having somebody like the notorious apartheid killer Eugene de Kock serving as a government minister in President Jacob Zuma’s ANC cabinet.
The Reality
This is a stretch, even for you J.M. Next time you feel like comparing apples with oranges, do it on your own time. It’s practically libelous too – are you are implying that Roy Bennett is an apartheid killer? Watch yourself, or you might find Beatrice Mtetwa after you!
The Lie
The Sunday Mail on the Marange diamond fields: A vicious anti-Zimbabwe campaign was launched in the powerful capitals of the West, with the sole objective of condemning Zimbabwe’s precious stones as “blood diamonds”.
The Reality
It wasn’t an anti-Zimbabwe campaign, it was an anti-violence campaign, the primary objective being to end the horrific human rights abuses taking place at Marange at the hands of the country’s military.
The Lie
Mahoso: Illegal broadcasts are the most obvious and blatant violations of Press freedom anywhere in the world.
The Reality
Ha, that’s rich coming from the ‘Media Hangman’ himself! Taffy is the former chairman of the Media and Information Commission (MIC), an offshoot of the controversial Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), which tightly controls and restricts all forms of media in the country. Isn’t government censorship and control the most obvious and blatant violation of press freedom anywhere in the world? There would be no need for illegal broadcasts if the government actually allowed the press to say what they want.
The Lie
The Herald: The biggest threat to the survival of the GNU is the sanctions, pirate radio stations and the parallel government set up by the Prime Minister.
The Reality
Don’t they get bored spouting the same drivel week after week? Everybody knows biggest threat to the GNU is Zanu-PF’s refusal to fully implement the GPA. Period.
The Lie
Former Information minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu: Zimbabwean journalists should abandon stories on corruption and start showing patriotism by bashing western imposed sanctions on President Mugabe and his cronies.
The Reality
Since when is it patriotic to stand up for a dictator and his pocketful of greedy minions, when they do nothing of any good or value for your country? What is patriotic is to write about their weaselly ways, to try to effect change for the good of the Zimbabwean people.
The Lie
The Herald: Of course, it is clear that when the MDC-T talks of “meaningful change” they mean smuggling individuals into Government through the back door.
The Reality
If anyone’s been smuggling individuals through the back door, it’s Zanu-PF. What would you call the illegal appointments of Jonathan Tomana and Gideon Gono?
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