Chronicle Editor
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
THE media has been urged to foster lasting relations and push the agenda of the Global South in the face of neo-liberal propaganda malice against it, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Minister Monica Mutsvangwa has said.
In her address at the 6th BRICS Media Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa, whose theme was BRICS and Africa: Strengthening Media Dialogue for a Shared and Unbiased Future, Minister Mutsvangwa said the media should deploy itself to curate the interwoven connections of culture, politics and economics.
“This year’s theme offers a rethink to the oligopoly fixations of power. It re-emphasises the very existence of BRICS as an emerging multilateral alternative that seeks to humanise politics and give incentive to reciprocal multilateralism.
“To achieve this, our nations must know each other and the media has a franchising effect to that cause. The media helps to curate the interwoven connections of our cultures, politics and economies. In the Sadc, we share a political soul that shapes the values of economic integration, BRICS forms the benchmark of a shared economic future,” she said.
Minister Mutsvangwa said the media should rise above neo-colonialism encouraging countries in the Global South to cement relationships among themselves.
“Regardless of the neo-liberal propaganda malice against thriving Global-South, we continue to witness South-South financial inclusivity defining the future of global capital. My own country Zimbabwe has borne the burden of illegal and unilateral sanctions imposed on us by the United States of America for the past 23 years.
“Africa as a whole faces the scourge of neo-colonialism as a real menace to our progress as it stifles investment. Subsequently, illicit financial flows have dominated the extractive sector. As part of circumventing this haemorrhage of our economy, the Second Republic has been engaged in massive value addition, especially to the fledging lithium sector.
“We are doing the same in the steel production sector with Tshingshan Holdings championing the establishment of the largest African steel plant in Zimbabwe,” she said.
She added that there was need to have more systematic and concerted market exchanges calling on Africa to raise the bar to make it costly to those who want to exclude or deny global market coalescence.
“Africa has to develop capacity beyond its primary industry to produce tradable products with and amongst its nations, and within the BRICS community, and finally with the rest of the world. This further underscore harnessing intra-and interstate productive industries vigorously, while dissuading wanton exports of raw materials,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
It is in that regard, she said, that Zimbabwe had put a ban on the raw export of a number of minerals including chrome, platinum, black granite, lithium, among others.
She further said Zimbabwe was seeking to deepen ties with each of the BRICS member countries as presently composed.
“With South Africa, I can inform you that the last time I was here, I officiated at the Zim Ministerial Gala which culminated in the True Zimbabwe African Journalists Tour which was mostly subscribed by top-billing South-African media practitioners and aficionados. This engagement boldly affirmed the collegial diplomatic ties between Harare and Pretoria. As an endorsement seal to this media diplomacy initiative, our Head of State received this team and thus symbolizing the earnest propensity of the state to a free and unfettered media operational environment,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
With Russia, Minister Mutsvangwa said Zimbabwe’s participation at the summit was a sequel to the joint Memorandum of Understanding the country signed with Russia in the sphere of mass media at the just-ended Russia-Africa Summit.
“This is informed by the Second Republic’s Engagement and Re-Engagement Policy which is anchored on consolidating the cordial relations we have with our friends including those under the BRICS multilateral conglomerate namely Brazil, Russia, India and our dear Neighbour South-Africa,” she added. — @NyembeziMu
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