Some have included interviews with top officials and include information that only trusted insiders would have access to. This has intensified the debate over the alleged infiltration of independent papers by Mugabes party and put some journalists on the suspect list.
The most recent report to raise questions appeared this week in The Independent newspaper and was headlined Mnangagwa takes lead in Mugabe succession race. The piece was written by Faith Zaba, who has a history of writing controversial political reports, some of which have been strongly refuted by the MDC and described by them as a figment of her imagination. In fact the MDC threatened to sue The Independent over one report in which Zaba claimed that three MDC ministers were being investigated for corruption.
This week she said Mnangagwas hopes of succeeding Mugabe had been gloomy, after the Mujuru faction won key party positions in the Womens and Youth Leagues and held most posts in the politburo. But that had all changed as Top Zanu PF officials are now convinced that Mnangagwa is being groomed to take over when Mugabe retires after the next elections.
The evidence used for this conclusion was the fact that her sources said Mnangagwa is the only Defence Minister that drives around in a mini-motorcade. Former Defence Ministers Sydney Sekeramayi, and the late Moven Mahachi never had that privilege. Zaba also claims that there is talk that Mnangagwa is using the presidential helicopter. She quotes Mnangagwa dismissing this on Wednesday, saying he uses an army helicopter to travel outside Harare, which has similar colours to the one used by the president.
Some observers believe the report was planted by Jonathan Moyo, a very close friend to Mnangagwa. The link between Moyo and Zaba is not clear but there are rumors that suggest a very close friendship between the two. It is Moyo who was named the ringleader in the failed Tsholotsho coup plot in 2004 when Mnangagwas allies gathered to draw up a plan to secure his position as vice president. The plan backfired and led to many being punished by Mugabe. But Moyo and Mnangagwa survived.
As the Zimbabwe crisis gets more complex and as in-fighting within political parties intensifies, it is the long suffering Zimbabwean people who have to try and find the truth in reports carried in the media. And it is the long suffering, truly independent journalists, who also have to continue to battle to find the truth.
Post published in: News