Precious Manomano — The engagement and re-engagement policy pronounced by President Mnangagwa is paying off well as seen by the country's hosting of international meetings and the invitations to the President and Cabinet ministers to address international platforms, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere, has said.
In a wide-ranging interview with Nkululeko Rusununguko Television (NRTV), Dr Muswere said: "We are basking in the success of the engagement and the re-engagement strategy, which was formulated and is also led by His Excellency, President Mnangagwa, which clearly articulates that we are a friend to all and an enemy to none.
"The hosting of various conferences, summits, meetings and exhibitions in Zimbabwe, and participation of five Heads of State during the Transform Africa last year, shows a success story.
"The success story around the engagement towards Zimbabwe is the re-joining of the Commonwealth. I was invited when I was Minister of ICT to come and participate in presentations during the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation meeting in London, which shows that there is a change of attitude towards Zimbabwe."
A lot of effort has been invested in the engagement and re-engagement drive, not just with critical players in the region but also globally.
Dr Muswere said international institutions including the United Nations, have condemned the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the West, especially the United States, in a demonstration that the engagement and re-engagement strategy is producing good results.
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The continued placement of President Mnangagwa on the sanctions list by the US is a direct attack on Zimbabwe, he said, adding that there was no need to slap members of the business community and other leaders with sanctions.
"So the sanctions are illegal, they were never supposed to be there in the first place. Zimbabwe just says no to sanctions. We say no to sanctions, but also to appreciate the resilience that has been exhibited by Zimbabweans across the country as we fight against these illegal sanctions in terms of innovation and also in terms of sustainability . . . we still insist that they should be removed".
Turning to the media industry, Dr Muswere said one of the responsibilities of the Minister of Information was to ensure a robust media industry, that policies are developed and that legislation supporting the growth of media practitioners and the media houses was crafted.
"We should also try by all means to ensure that we work together with all media houses and media practitioners to develop watertight and sustainable policies that support the growth of media practitioners," he said.
The media should also abide by sections 61 and 62 of the national Constitution in terms of freedom of expression and ensuring there is access to information for all Zimbabweans, said Dr Muswere.
"So, it is a declaration by the Government of Zimbabwe that we should liquidate sexual harassment pests in all media houses.
"This is precisely the reason why we develop, working together, and also launch the Sexual Harassment Policy because harassment inhibits the growth of human capital development. It also inhibits the growth, the diversity of media houses and of the practitioners," Dr Muswere said.
