ZANU PF Director of Information and Publicity uses “F” Word During Live Broadcast

The ruling party ZANU PF’s Director of Information and Publicity Tafadzwa Mugwadi on Tuesday night conducted himself in a despicable manner following his ‘f… You’ comment during a live broadcast with Qatari pay television news channel, Al Jazeera.

By Tongai Mwenje

Mugwadi together with MDC Alliance spokesperson Fadzai Mahere and Southern Africa Director, Human Rights Watch Dewa Mavhinga were live on Al Jazeera’s The Stream programme hosted by British Television presenter and journalist Femi Oke.

The programme was aimed at discussing Zimbabwe’s ever-deepening economic and political crisis that have lately been exacerbated by the impact of coronavirus.

The guests also discussed the issue of human rights abuses by suspected security forces who are cracking down on political opposition and civil society voices.

Oke, played one of President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa’s live broadcast clip confirming the state’s willingness to decisively deal with “bad apples that have attempted to divide our people or weaken our systems”.

“We will overcome attempts at destabilising our society by a few rogue Zimbabweans acting in league with foreign detractors. The bad apples that have attempted to divide our people or weaken our systems will be flashed out,” the president said through a video clip.

Instead of answering to the presenter’s question on the current health crisis in Zimbabwe, Mugwadi quickly responded to the video clip saying, “This is Rubbish, F… You.”

With security agencies showing little tolerance for public dissent, people across Zimbabwe have taken their protest against the government online. #ZimbabweanLivesMatter recently topped the ranks of Twitter’s trending topics, amplified by support from celebrities and political leaders around the world.

But while online activism has put Zimbabwe’s government under the spotlight, opponents from the Movement for Democratic Change say regulations ostensibly put in place to check the spread of novel coronavirus are now being weaponised by authorities to counter public dissent.

To date, more than 100,000 people have been arrested by police for violating public health rules.

President Mnangagwa has rejected the criticism of Zimbabwe’s security forces and says “perennial detractors” both regionally and internationally are trying to undermine the government.

But human rights groups say Mnangagwa’s government is repressive and bears parallels with that of former leader Robert Mugabe.