adminof the importance of these processes, the country is experiencing heightened activity across the political divide.
President Mugabe has persistently called on all Zimbabweans to remain united, peaceful, and tolerant of one another and to refrain from all forms of violence.
The President’s calls have at times been met with contempt by some misguided elements within the society whose agenda is to cause mayhem.
Instead of building on the peace messages, there are unruly elements in our midst and some in the media fraternity including the irresponsible politicians, who have sought to discredit the President by directly or indirectly inciting violence which he has categorically castigated.
These are the people with loose tongues, who rush to make uninformed conclusions, which are designed to cause despondency and foment hostilities.
Their statements are usually premised on political expediency rather than fact and reason. Such people never wish to see peace and harmony prevail in Zimbabwe but are content in sowing seeds of disharmony and lawlessness. They marvel when a brother is pitted against brother as this would ensure their political relevance. While the Constitution confers citizens various fundamental freedoms; mature and peace loving Zimbabweans know that these rights are enjoyed responsibly.
The tendency by the print media, particularly the private press, to sensationalise stories militates against the country’s peace building initiatives. Such conduct is contrary to the spirit of oneness and nation building. It is unethical journalism and undermines the very essence of freedom of expression. Some journalists particularly those in the private media have taken it upon themselves to act as complainants, investigators, prosecutors and judges as well. They are quick to point fingers at their perceived enemies.
Recent articles reported on February 25 2013, in the Daily News and NewsDay on the death of a 12-year-old boy in a fire incident in Headlands serve as clear examples of inflammatory reporting. The two papers had screaming headlines:”Murderers” and “Political violence returns”, respectively.
The two papers went on to accuse suspected Zanu-PF supporters of having petrol-bombed the room in which the young boy was sleeping. Apart from being told that the young boy’s father is an MDC-T member and alluding to some previous incidents which were neither elaborated nor linked to the current case, the two sister papers concluded that this was a case of political violence.
The DailyNews further asserts that; “Militias suspected of being behind the heinous murder first descended on Maisiri’s home after 7pm Saturday night and attacked dogs . . .” This assertion suggests that the identity of those responsible for this heinous incident is known. We are however again not told whether this alleged attack on the dogs was reported to the police.
Instead, the paper, either because the claims are based on surmise, creativity, or calculated mischief, chooses to take these matters on a gallop.
What is also disturbing are comments attributed to Douglas Mwonzora the MDC-T spokesperson. In the NewsDay report, he is quoted as having said: “The MDC-T is extremely saddened by the loss of a young life at the hands of cold blooded murderers who are obviously working on behalf of Zanu-PF.”
The emphasis is mine. If what Mwonzora alleges is true, one expects him to assist the police in bringing the culprits to book. Mwonzora seems absolutely certain about the causes of the fire and those involved. It should be remembered that Mwonzora is a lawyer by profession and it can be safely assumed that he knows what he is talking about. It cannot be assumed that he is merely politicking.
If Mwonzora is so confident that this is a case of arson committed by Zanu-PF supporters, surely he should give details of the perpetrators to the police. In doing so, Mwonzora will have not only acted as a responsible citizen, but also an honourable Member of Parliament, a lawyer, and a spokesperson for one of the political parties in Government. Should the police then fail to act on the evidence given by Mwonzora, citizens will surely be justified in criticising them.
I feel compelled to caution against rushed conclusions that are devoid of fact. We need to give the police time to carry out their investigations in order to establish the truth. Now that the police have ruled out any foul play how do Mwonzora and company react.
It is sad to note how some politicians and unethical journalists conveniently choose to trivialize the death of innocent individuals in pursuit of nefarious agendas.
We seem to be fostering a dangerous culture where we no longer revere the sanctity of life and respect the dead. Responsible citizens should never condone such irresponsible journalism which is deliberately designed to inflame passions. It breeds contempt and hatred. We need unity instead of disunity; peace instead of violence; harmony and not war. The media should not align itself with political parties but report factually and in a balanced manner. Inflammatory reporting and political grandstanding on such tragic issues threatens peace and national security.
Chenjerai Shava is a social commentator based in Harare.
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