THE Embassy of the United States in Zimbabwe has been forced to delete a tweet it had posted on Friday morning praising former President Robert Mugabe after his death, following pressure from a US Senator who chided the Embassy for praising Mugabe.
The pressure came particularly from a US Senator Brendan Boyle and other Americans who said the tweet queried if the Harare Embassy Twitter page had been hacked or was running a parody account.
The initial tweet which praised Mugabe read: “The United States extends its condolences to the Mugabe family and the people of Zimbabwe as they mourn the passing of former President Robert Mugabe.
“We join the world in reflecting on his legacy in securing Zimbabwe’s independence.”
The tweet has since been deleted.
Brendan Boyle is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Pennsylvania’s 2nd congressional district serving in the US Congress since this year.
Some Americans reckoned that the tweet seemed to portray a message that the US government as if it was fighting Mugabe from securing his people’s legacy, given the US sanctioned Zimbabwe over the land reform.
Later on yesterday, the US State Department published its statement mourning Mugabe. The statement acknowledged that Mugabe fought to liberate his own people, but went on to impoverish them.
“We extend our condolences to those mourning the loss of former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. Robert Mugabe helped liberate Zimbabwe, but his human rights abuses and gross economic mismanagement impoverished millions and betrayed his people’s hopes for their nation.
“We continue to support the aspirations of the Zimbabwean people for a better, more prosperous future,” said the State Department.
Meanwhile, President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday announced that his predecessor had been declared a national hero and that burial arrangements will be advised in due course. – Zimbabwe Voice
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