(4 minutes read)
· President Emmerson Mnangagwa made a broadcast to the nation highlighting that some people were trying to “destabilize the country”
· He referred them as “rogue Zimbabweans” and “rotten apples” and vowed to flush them out
· A legislation purportedly to prohibit hate speech by public officials, media houses, and citizens in public spaces and social, print and electronic media platforms” will be presented in parliament
· The opposition claims that it will be the highlight of a “badly drafted Cyber Security and Data Protection Bill”
President Emmerson Mnangagwa made a broadcast to the nation highlighting that some people were trying to “destabilize the country”. He referred them as “rogue Zimbabweans” and “rotten apples” and vowed to flush them out.
Reports are there about ‘Crisis in Zimbabwe’, which are stealing headlines in the country and in the international press. There are reports about the arrest of 60 people including journalists, internationally acclaimed author Tsitsi Dangarembga, Advocate Fadzayi Mahere, opposition and civil rights members.
A legislation purportedly to prohibit hate speech by public officials, media houses, and citizens in public spaces and social, print and electronic media platforms” will be presented in parliament. The opposition claims that it will be the highlight of a “badly drafted Cyber Security and Data Protection Bill”.
The South Africa’s Department of International Relations said it “noted with concern the reports related to human rights violations in Zimbabwe” and later said it would send two ‘special envoys’ to the country. The African Union, the Southern African Development Community, and current African presidents are yet to speak. The UN Secretary-General has urged the government to ensure the protection of all human rights, especially freedom of opinion and expression and the right of peaceful assembly and association. The coming few days will be crucial for the country to see which way the present movement would go.
