Innocent Mujeri
Opposition activist and journalist, Hopewell Chin’ono has been condemned for using international platforms to speak ill of the country and present it as a failed state.
Chin’ono who was recently in Switzerland for the Human Rights and Democracy Summit, left many Zimbabweans fuming following his lies that denigrated the country and its leadership.
Chin’ono lied that there was no media freedom in Zimbabwe, the health sector was paralysed and that over 2 500 pregnant women were dying each year, whilst giving birth. Zimbabweans reacted to Chin’ono’s lies by accusing him of being unpatriotic and a sell-out who was singing from the same book with the country’s detractors.
“Everyone has a duty not to be disloyal to their country. Trashing your own country for the pleasure of foreigners is the epitome of that disloyalty,” said Nick Mangwana, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services.
Labour Economists and African Democrats (LEAD) president, Linda Masarira slammed Chin’ono for begging for more sanctions to be imposed on Zimbabwe.
“Self-hate created the Hopewell we have seen on these streets and in Geneva. No one other than a native Zimbabwean can fix whatever this country will be going through. Calling for further sanctions on Zimbabwe is the highest level of mediocrity considering the high levels of poverty,” said Masarira.
Netizen Benjamin Mlambo said that it was ironic that Chin’ono insinuated that there was no press freedom in Zimbabwe, but he was silent when journalist Julian Assange was persecuted by the US government for merely doing his work.
“It’s ironic that Chin’ono goes on international platforms and start claiming that there was no press freedom in Zimbabwe. The same Chin’ono was silent when fellow journalist Assange was persecuted by the US government for doing his work. We have never heard Chin’ono condemning the violation of Assange’s rights. This shows that Chin’ono is being used to destabilise Zimbabwe under the guise of human rights violations,” said Mlambo.
Mlambo added that, “the patriotic bill should be expedited so as to clip the wings of the sell-outs who find joy in negatively portraying their motherland”
Chin’ono’s unwarranted criticism of Government has led many people to believe that he is on the payroll of the country’s detractors and was being paid to tarnish the image of the country and prop up the opposition’s image, particularly that of the Citizens Coalition for Change.
