Staff Reporter
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has dismissed claims that the recently erected statue of Mbuya Nehanda at the intersection of Samora Machel and Julius Nyerere, Harare had fallen and shattered to pieces after a freak accident with a haulage truck. This was after scores of people woke up to graphic pictures on social media of a collapsed footbridge on EN6 in Munhava, Mozambique which they claimed to have been Mbuya Nehanda statue.
Speaking through its social media page, the ZRP said, “The ZRP dismisses a social media post alleging that there has been an accident at the Statue of Mbuya Nehanda, corner Julius Nyerere and Samora Machel.
“This is false. The police are now conducting investigations so that the law can take its course on those who are peddling fake news. The fake media post is dismissed with the contempt it deserves.” MDC Alliance spokesperson, Fadzayi Mahere posted on her social media page pictures of the collapsed bridge which she captioned, “Is the statue okay?” This was obviously meant to push a false narrative that the statue had fallen.
This is not the first time that the MDC Alliance spokesperson has been involved in disinformation. Mahere was arraigned by the courts last year for spreading falsehoods through social media after posting a picture of a supposed dead baby allegedly killed by a police officer using a baton while strapped on its mother’s back.
The fake media brigades were on overdrive during this weekend coining false stories just to whip the people’s emotions.
The most recent one was the perpetuation of a narrative that ZANU PF had proposed a law that bans the wearing of miniskirts and trousers by women. ZANU PF has, however, dismissed the fake news with contempt.
“The Revolutionary Party, ZANU PF distances itself from circulating fake news saying the Party is lobbying or mooting for the disbandment of mini-skirts and trousers for women.
“The fake news whose origins has been traced to an NGO allied to the opposition parties reflect the views of that organisation and its handlers who have no respect for the women, women’s rights and our culture,” read a ZANU PF press statement.
Meanwhile, people angrily reacted to the fake news which they said did not need a rocket scientist to identify it as it is.
