By John Sigauke
Self –exiled former cabinet minister and Generation 40 (G40) top dog, Saviour Kasukuwere has roped in a number of local journalists to shore up his political project, The Harare Post can reveal.
A source privy to the project revealed that Kasukuwere assembled local scribes to help him propagate his political message through the mainstream and social media.
Some of the enlisted journalists, led by former Sunday Mail editor, Edmund Kudzayi, have already started a social media campaign under the hash tag #Tysonwabantu.
“Tyson (Kasukuwere) invited a total of 15 journalists to his hiding place in South Africa. Of the 15, only eight pitched up. Tyson paid for their flight and the scribes were given US2 000 each on their return.
“They discussed on how the journalists would use the Fourth Estate to prop up Tyson’s political image. Each journalist was given Tyson’s autobiography which he crafted himself for them to use in their media messages. The biography narrates his history from the time he was in the Central Intelligence Organisation, his business venture which he claims to have started at 24, his political career in Zanu PF as a provincial youth chairman and later as a politburo member and cabinet minister,” said the source.
Apart from Kudzayi, the source revealed other names of the hired journalists as former Chronicle editor Mduduzi Mathuthu, former Newsday reporter Xolisani Ncube, former Business Week editor Tawanda Karombo, Freelance journalist Problem Masawu, Sunday Mail reporter and Professor Jonathan Moyo’s sister Simiso Mlevu, Communications Officer for Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Kumbirai Mafunda and one Mukwedza.
The source also revealed that Kasukuwere is now working with the Director of Human Rights Watch for Southern Africa Region, Dewa Mavhinga who has been lately very active in anti-government campaigns. He recently sourced funds to pay striking doctors whose salaries were stopped for not reporting for duty. Mavhinga’s task, the source said, would be to source funds for Kasukuwere’s political project.
Besides journalists and Civil Society activists, Kasukuwere has also roped in some bogus prophets to endorse his political project. He, through his media team, recently lured a self-styled Budiriro based prophet, Komborerai Munhovo of the Christ Freedom Ministries to advance his political agenda by proclaiming fake prophecies that insinuate Kasukuwere’s ascendancy to the presidency.
In 2017, Munhovo proclaimed a ‘prophecy’ that Kasukuwere will ascend to power with the help of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA).
The source said Kasukuwere and his media team were pushing Munhovo to reveal the same prophecy at his church’s national conference pencilled for this month, and the assembled journalists would then capitalise on that prophecy on social media.
According to the source, Kasukuwere’s media team will also engage other prophets like Talent Chiwenga, Tawanda Chimwanza, Godfrey Zororo and Emmanuel Makandiwa to collaborate Munhovo’s prophecy.
