Press Statement
The Patriotic Front (TPF) is dismayed by the alleged arrest of investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono and opposition leader Jacob Ngarivhume, who have during the last few weeks been very vocal against systemic corruption in Zimbabwe.
The duo were reportedly arrested Monday, following police raids in which those associated with the two men were allegedly harassed and threatened.
Chin’ono, an award-winning investigative journalist, is one of those who have carved themselves a niche as the voices against corruption in Zimbabwe, exposing several cases of graft by powerful politicians, including the alleged diversion of funds meant to deal with the ravaging effects of Covid-19.
Ngarivhume, who leads opposition party Transform Zimbabwe International (TZI), is one of the organisers of the anti-corruption march slated for July 31.
The arrest of the two anti-corruption advocates is a worrying reminder that Zimbabwean authorities not only condone corruption by senior officials, but would also go at length to try and conceal it by silencing those who expose it. This further confirms that media freedom and freedom of expression remain a far-fetched dream in Zimbabwe.
TPF hereby implores the Zimbabwean authorities to respect the rights of the two men in as far as the spurious allegations against them are concerned.
The latest action by the authorities flies in the face of the so-called new dispensation and exposes the farce behind the rhetoric that the current leadership has been riding on since November 2017.
We further assert that corruption is the Number One cause of Zimbabwe’s current economic problems and that instead of harassing those who expose it, government should be landing heavily on those involved in it.
This is the time when every Zimbabwean should be joining hands to expose corruption and make sure those who push it and those who benefit are hauled before the law.
Mxolisi Ncube
Secretary for Information and Publicity
The Patriotic Front
www.tpfz.org
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