Nick Mangwana, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services, has warned The Mirror, a local newspaper in Masvingo, that it will face consequences soon. The Mirror wrote an article saying ZANU PF helped Zimbabweans vote in Mozambique's disputed elections on October 9. Mangwana said the newspaper broke the law a lot and was irresponsible. He said in The Herald that ZANU PF doesn't get involved in political things in other countries. He said the party sometimes sends officials to the region for meetings, but this doesn't mean they help rig elections.
Things got worse after people from Masvingo were seen on camera saying they voted in Mozambique's elections. This made people think Zimbabwean authorities might have helped rig votes. Mangwana said the accusations didn't come from people in Mozambique's elections at first but from a media group in Masvingo that often breaks the law. He told some Mozambican political parties only started saying this later to explain how they did in the elections. But he said Zimbabwe didn't send people to vote or help rig the elections.
Mangwana said it's sad that some Zimbabweans are spreading this false information, making them unsafe in other countries. Zimbabwe's ambassadors in Botswana and Mozambique warned Zimbabweans residing there to be careful. This happened while Botswana was having tense elections on October 30. Even though senior ZANU PF people like Patrick Chinamasa campaigned for the ruling party, the opposition won, making people think there was political interference.
Mangwana said Zimbabweans who spread false claims about their country interfering in other countries' affairs put their loved ones at risk of xenophobia. That's why Zimbabwe's ambassadors told Zimbabweans to be careful when they move around. Mangwana said Zimbabwe is part of SADC and has always supported democratic principles and free and fair elections in the region. He said Zimbabwe's non-interference can be seen in how it professionally participates in SADC's electoral observer missions.
As the region deals with election challenges, Zimbabwe's commitment is a good example for other member states. The Zimbabwean Government will work with any leader elected democratically in their country according to their rules. Mangwana said they don't rig elections in Zimbabwe or any other country.
Things got worse after people from Masvingo were seen on camera saying they voted in Mozambique's elections. This made people think Zimbabwean authorities might have helped rig votes. Mangwana said the accusations didn't come from people in Mozambique's elections at first but from a media group in Masvingo that often breaks the law. He told some Mozambican political parties only started saying this later to explain how they did in the elections. But he said Zimbabwe didn't send people to vote or help rig the elections.
Mangwana said it's sad that some Zimbabweans are spreading this false information, making them unsafe in other countries. Zimbabwe's ambassadors in Botswana and Mozambique warned Zimbabweans residing there to be careful. This happened while Botswana was having tense elections on October 30. Even though senior ZANU PF people like Patrick Chinamasa campaigned for the ruling party, the opposition won, making people think there was political interference.
Mangwana said Zimbabweans who spread false claims about their country interfering in other countries' affairs put their loved ones at risk of xenophobia. That's why Zimbabwe's ambassadors told Zimbabweans to be careful when they move around. Mangwana said Zimbabwe is part of SADC and has always supported democratic principles and free and fair elections in the region. He said Zimbabwe's non-interference can be seen in how it professionally participates in SADC's electoral observer missions.
As the region deals with election challenges, Zimbabwe's commitment is a good example for other member states. The Zimbabwean Government will work with any leader elected democratically in their country according to their rules. Mangwana said they don't rig elections in Zimbabwe or any other country.
