By Bernard Mutambudzi

The media both private and public in Zimbabwe should strive to be objective and report on the real issues happening in the country, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said.

Addressing the Inaugural Session of the Zimbabwe-Botswana Bi-National Commission last week, President Mnangagwa urged the media to be impartial.

 “Don’t give your own interpretations, say things as they are, articulating what the Government is doing without bias,” said President.

 He said the media should mirror what would be happening in the four corners of the country.

“We want our media to focus on common national goals and interests in order to drive the national agenda of developing our country and improving the welfare of the ordinary Zimbabwean citizen,” said the President.

President said there was need for Zimbabwe and Botswana to work closely together as the nations forge bilateral engagements.

He said elimination of dependence on Western global media organisations for news, broadcasting content and sources of information should be addressed through increased cooperation between Botswana and Zimbabwe.

President said, ‘Our people are bombarded with negative and misleading messages about ourselves and our governments, particularly against those governments they wish to remove through television programmes and newspapers,”

The Bi-National Commission was the first of its kind after Ian Khama who was a critic of former president Mugabe’s rule. The coming in of President Emmerson Mnangagwa has opened a new dawn for Zimbabwe with the country on the re-engagement drive.

Since his inauguration, President Mnangagwa is going with the mantra; Zimbabwe is open for business and economics, economics rather politicking without addressing the needs of the people.