admin
Ambassador Zwambila was selected by MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai as one of his party’s nominees for top diplomatic postings within the spirit of the Global Political Agreement and inclusive Government.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Ambassador Joey Bimha could not immediately neither confirm nor deny receiving such reports, saying he was waiting for a full report from Canberra.
“We are not in possession of the facts. Because of the time differences between the two countries, we have not yet received the details of that matter.
“We will only comment after receiving a full report,” Ambassador Bimha said.
The Herald is reliably informed that Ambassador Zwambila Thursday summoned three officials — Mr Moses Chikanyairo, Mr Givemore T. Nyanzou and Mr Felix Nyamupinga — to her offices at around 10 am Australian time, 1am (Zimbabwe time).
She interrogated them on who had given The Herald the embassy’s website link.
The website in question was launched in Australia, apparently for international readers only and for the purposes of advancing MDC-T interests in Canberra.
Following the launch, Ambassador Zwambila posted an article claiming that sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe were not hurting ordinary people.
She was reportedly shocked to see excerpts of the article in The Herald on Wednesday.
When quizzed, the three embassy officials denied leaking any information.
At this point, the ambassador allegedly shouted in Shona: “Manje hamundizivi. (You don’t know me well). Ask . . . (name of a minister mentioned) and he will tell you what I am capable of doing. Nhasi ndinoda kukubvisirai hembe. (Today I am going to strip naked in front of you).”
The sources said she then proceeded to remove her clothes and stood in front of them in her bra and panties.
The three officials left the office in embarrassment.
Australian staff at the embassy — including Ambassador Zwambila’s driver, a receptionist and a cleaner — reportedly saw the officials beating a hasty retreat from her office.
When contacted for a comment from her Australian base yesterday, Ambassador Zwambila switched off her phone on learning that the call was from The Herald in Harare. After that her phone went unanswered. MDC-T’s secretary for international relations, Professor Eliphas Mukonoweshuro, yesterday distanced his party from Ambassador Zwambila’s behaviour.
“She is a Government appointee. Diplomats representing Zimbabwe are not trained by the party . . . The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the better authority to talk to,” he said.
The website article reproduced by The Herald that drew Ambassador Zwambila’s ire read in part: “These measures (illegal sanctions) have been revised annually, most recently in February 2010.
“These measures do not hurt ordinary Zimbabweans, nor do they affect humanitarian assistance or legitimate business. The EU does not have any economic sanctions against Zimbabwe.”
The website oddly had Australia’s coat of arms on the top right hand corner, making Zimbabwe probably one of the few — if not the only — countries that has an embassy giving such prominence to its host.
Before publication of The Herald’s story, the website (www.katheti.com/zimembassy) was accessible.
However, by yesterday evening it appeared to have been pulled with a message on the host site saying: “The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.” It was hosted by a company called Blue Host.
Online Reporter