Handiende says Joice

The straw that broke the camel’s back was an article in this week’s Sunday Mail claiming that she was involved in a plot to assassinate President Robert Mugabe. She said the allegation was wholly untrue and could not go unchallenged in the national interest.

"No amount of malicious, hurtful and false statements about me, my late husband, my family, children , associates or business interests (real or imagined) can deter me from the mission at hand, that is to assist His Excellency President R G Mugabe in driving the social and economic programmes of his government to successful fruition,” she said in a statement on Sunday night.

"In the interests of the party and in keeping with its established protocol, I have previously chosen not to issue any statements. I regret that certain persons have elected to make false, unsubstantiated, malicious, defamatory and irresponsible statements about me, solely for the purpose of engineering their widespread publication in all forms of media across the world, and bringing the ruling party, the government and the President of into disrepute.

"I deny any and all the allegations of treason, corruption, incompetence, and misuse of public office being routinely made against me in The Herald and The Sunday Mail newspapers. I have briefed my legal practitioners to take the necessary steps, at law, to restore my good reputation, political standing and dignity. I stand ready to defend myself before the party, and in any court of law on any of the allegations made against me, at any time, in accordance with the laws of Zimbabwe," says the statement.