South Africa’s former ruling party, the New National Party, says the South African Government should explain to Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s government what media freedom is ”as it is clear it does not understand the concept”.
NNP representative Adriaan van Jaarsveld was responding to the official complaint lodged by the Zimbabwean government with the SA government over what it described as the ”relentless demonisation” of President Robert Mugabe and the people of Zimbabwe by the South African media.
It was reported that Mugabe’s chief representative Information Minister Jonathan Moyo said in a letter to South African minister Essop Pahad that Zimbabwe’s government believed in media freedom but this was not a licence for ”vested interests to insult a head of state from a friendly country”.
Zimbabwe’s president was referred to disrespectfully — according to Moyo — in the Sunday Times of May 18 in its Hogarth column. In that column it said his country was in flames, his money had no value, there was no fuel or food, and there were no jobs. It asked: ”And at this time, what’s paramount in Bob’s mind?”
According to the column Mugabe has a bird on his mind. Mugabe apparently referred to ”that ruthless cultural plunderer” — Cecil John Rhodes — who brought some bird sculptures from Zimbabwe back to South Africa and ”Bob” wants President Thabo Mbeki to give them back. One is apparently in Groote Schuur on the presidential estate in Cape Town.
Van Jaarsveld said: ”Zimbabwean spindoctor Jonathan Moyo has once again opened his mouth to change his Mampara-feet by complaining to the South African government. Moyo, and supposedly the Zimbabwean Government, feels our media is demonising Mugabe. He is doing an excellent job himself and does not need the
media to do this.
”The South African Government should use this opportunity to explain to the
Mugabe government what media freedom is as it is clear the Zimbabwean Government does not understand this internationally recognised concept. Or maybe one of our journalism schools should invite Moyo to attend one of their classes for first year students as he has a lot to learn.” – I-Net Bridge