by Innocent Mujeri

Government has condemned sustained media attacks by the Newsday and some news outlets on the person of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the First Family and urged journalists to be professional in their reporting.

In a statement yesterday, Deputy Secretary Presidential Communication in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Mr. George Charamba, said the media should refrain from publishing falsehoods about the President and stick to the dictates of professional journalism.

“The Office of the President and Cabinet continues to view with consternation what clearly is a sustained media campaign by Newsday and other syndicated online news outlets against His Excellency the President Cde E.D Mnangagwa, the First Lady, Amai Auxillian Mnangagwa and children of the First Family.

“This campaign habitually looked on gold cases and mining claim disputes, including those before the courts, is falsely meant to paint the First Family as involved or associated with alleged crimes and conflicts in the mining sector,” said Charamba in a statement.

Charamba further said the evidence of attacks on the President was in yesterday’s issue of the Newsday, which badly creates the impression that one Tarirai David Mnangagwa is the President’s biological son.

Charamba said President Mnangagwa is appealing to the Newsday to produce proof that Tarirai Mnangagwa is the President’s son.

“His Excellency would be most grateful if Newsday can provide him and the nation with evidence of a filial relationship between him and Tarirai David Mnangagwa, in order to make good claims in their story.

“In the absence of such evidence, the Office of the President and Cabinet demands an immediate retraction of the published and damaging falsehoods, as well as an unconditional apology to the President, the First Lady and the First Family,” reads the statement.

Mr Charamba further urges the media to refrain from publishing malicious claims and stick to the standards and dictates of professional journalism.

The Newsday and other online publication have in recent weeks been falsely claiming that the First Family is involved in unlawful grabbing of mines and facilitating smuggling of gold outside the country, claims which were dismissed by the First Family as not only damaging, but false and misleading.