Panic: Govt rages at bid ‘to make Zim burn’

We have seen some strange stories … George Charamba

The beleaguered administration cited “some strange stories”, including claims that Zimbabwean soldiers had been killed in Mozambique.

“For quite a while, there has been an attempt to find a combustible subject matter which would ignite and burn this country,” said information ministry spokesman George Charamba.

He referred to media reports alleging that Zimbabwean soldiers had been killed in a shootout with Renamo in neighbouring Mozambique.

In addition, there was also a claim that finance minister Patrick Chinamasa’s son had been arrested at Beitbridge Border Post trying to illegally take some $7m out of the country.

Again, the family of abducted and still missing anti-government activist Itai Dzamara released images they claimed to be of the former journalist allegedly held in captivity.

“For quite a while, there has been an attempt to find combustible subject matter which would ignite and burn this country,” Charamba told the Herald.

“ … and in the past two weeks we have seen a human effigy pretending to be Itai Dzamara hoping it will be another Bouazizi to the Zimbabwean situation.

“We have had some strange stories of our Zimbabweans attacked by Renamo at Mt Selinda which story quickly changed that a whole busload of Zimbabwean soldiers had been massacred by Renamo fighters as if we have any operation in Mozambique.

“Add onto that the false story of (Patrick) Chinamasa’s son trying to spirit away $7 million and you wonder the motive.”

The government would be wary of attempts to stoke public anger at a time many are struggling to survive as the country’s economic crisis worsens.

Zimbabweans have lately had to endure a serious cash crisis with many expressing anger at plans by government to address the problem by printing ‘bond notes’ which the administation claims would be of equivalent value to the US dollar.

Critics say the the bond notes are an attempt by government to bring back a local currency after the Zimbabwe dollar was abandoned in 2009 due to hyperinflation.