HERALD COVERAGE OF CHIEF NDIWENI ATTACK DEPLORABLE

The Herald of 16 May 2019 have unashamedly supported hooliganism and taken sides against Chief Khayisa Ndiweni without giving the chief the right to respond and without putting all the facts of the matter.

The Herald claims that the attack by Chief Ndiweni was stage-managed and quotes some unnamed ZANU PF officials castigating the Chief. The paper further blames media activist Mr Zenzele Ndebele for breaking the news and sensationalise the case by saying its fake that is why it went viral on social media.

To help the reader understand where the Herald embarrassed themselves let us look at some key issues:

1. From Ntabazinduna to Bulawayo is just a few kilometres and you can even walk there. So there is nothing sinister about the chief being in Bulawayo. After all, people in Ntabazinduna get their services in Bulawayo and the Matabeleland North administration is actually housed in Bulawayo.
2. The attack is said to be orchestrated by ZANU PF youths because they were driving an unregistered but marked ZANU PF car. So if the chief stage-managed it, did he also stage – manage branding a car ZANU PF?
3. What was wrong with Zenzele Ndebele publishing the story and the pictures? If it was someone else maybe a Chronicle or Herald reporter will it have made the issue authentic?
4. Residents of Bulawayo who were there and who have cell-phones that take pictures, who are on WhatsApp and Facebook, also published the story thus making it viral.
5. A well meaning journalist should have atleast phoned Chief Ndiweni, Zenzele or some activists in Bulawayo to confirm or disapprove the story. Even the Chronicle editorial was not respected by their sister paper as Herald could have sought comment from Chronicle who are close to the incident.

Clearly, the Herald publication has exhibited its unparalleled bias against truth and its biases. Its such a pity that the Herald has not used such equalled bowels of energy to castigate some chiefs that have abused human rights in their communities and some that have violated the Constitution by openly supporting ZANU PF.

We thank the people of Bulawayo, Zenzele Ndebele and other activists who broke this story because the truth is out there to the public to consume. The era of state sponsored lies in the name of truth has passed. We also appreciate the Newsday for a factual story that even narrates the incident as it unfolded.