ZBC Reporter
JOURNALISM carries with it a responsibility to truth, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Zhemu Soda has said, warning against the weaponising of platforms to misrepresent Zimbabwe abroad.
In a statement responding to remarks delivered at a forum in Geneva, Minister Soda said government has taken note of a submission by an individual purporting to speak on the state of human rights and the rule of law in Zimbabwe.
“We note this submission with the grave concern it deserves, not because it offers any constructive critique, but because it represents a desperate attempt to reverse the undeniable diplomatic and economic gains made under the Second Republic’s engagement and re-engagement agenda,” he said.
The Minister said it is “regrettable that a platform dedicated to dialogue was used to peddle a distorted narrative that flies in the face of reality”.
Minister Soda said Zimbabwe operates under the authority of its Constitution and laws enacted by Parliament, adding that legal frameworks are in place to safeguard national sovereignty.
The minister drew attention to provisions under the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Amendment Act, including Section 22A, commonly referred to as the “patriotic clauses”.
“Section 22A of the Act is explicit in its defence of national sovereignty. It criminalises the act of wilfully injuring the sovereignty and national interest of Zimbabwe, particularly for citizens who ‘actively partake’ in meetings with the object of considering or planning intervention by a foreign government. Furthermore, it unequivocally prohibits engaging with foreign entities to subvert, upset, overthrow, or overturn the constitutional Government of Zimbabwe,” he said.
“These clauses are not merely symbolic; they are the legal bulwark against the very type of foreign-aligned activism we witnessed in Geneva.”
The Minister also strongly condemned the implied call for the restoration of sanctions.
“We strongly deplore the implied call for the restoration of sanctions against Zimbabwe. Let us be clear: for years, our people have suffered the debilitating effects of illegal measures imposed by Western nations,” he said.
He said the Second Republic’s engagement and re-engagement policy has delivered measurable results, including the removal of Zimbabwe Defence Industries from the European Union sanctions list and improved diplomatic ties.
“The EU itself has acknowledged our country’s significant progress in constitutional reforms. Even in the United States, there is a growing momentum to repeal the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA), a move that signals a definitive shift away from the confrontational policies of the past,” he said.
“Calls to reverse these gains are calls to punish the very Zimbabwean people the speaker purports to represent.”
Minister Soda dismissed suggestions that Zimbabwe is not democratising.
“The suggestion that Zimbabwe is not democratising is a fallacy contradicted by observable reality. Our judicial processes remain robust. Laws are made, challenged, and refined within the courts, not through grandstanding in foreign capitals,” he said.
Addressing the individual concerned, he added: “Journalism carries with it a responsibility to truth. Weaponizing one’s platform to advocate for the very measures that stifle our economy and harm our populace is not an act of courage; it is an act of hostility against your own homeland.”
“The days of impunity for those who scurry to foreign lands to malign their own nation are firmly in the past. The legal framework, including the provisions cited above, stands ready to defend Zimbabwe against those who would sacrifice its sovereignty for fleeting foreign validation.”
Minister Soda said Zimbabwe remains open to engagement but will resist any attempt to re-impose sanctions.
“Zimbabwe is open for business, open for dialogue, but resolutely closed to the re-imposition of illegal sanctions and the forces of regression. We will not allow the successes of our re-engagement to be undone by narratives of doom.”
