Welshman Ncube said South African, British and U.S. media had campaigned to pressure Nestlé to terminate
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JOHANNESBURG - A South African activist group has taken aim at Industry Minister Welshman Ncube for reportedly blaming the decision by multinational food maker Nestlé to suspend operations in Zimbabwe on the international media.
The state-controlled Herald newspaper on Tuesday reported that Ncube said South African, British and U.S. media had campaigned to pressure Nestlé to terminate a supplier relationship between its Harare processing unit and a dairy company controlled by President Robert Mugabe's family. Gushungo Dairy Estate is controlled by Grace Mugabe, the president's wife.
People Against Suffering, Suppression, Oppression and Poverty, or Passop, said Nestlé has the right to choose the companies with which it does business. The company terminated the relationship with Gushungo in October after coming under fire from human rights activists in South Africa and elsewhere.
That drew a backlash from ministers of Mr. Mugabe's ZANU-PF party who tried to force Nestle to buy milk from Gushungo, leading Nestlé last week to announce that it was suspending operations in the country. Ncube said late last week that a solution had been reached for Nestlé to purchase Gushungo milk through a cooperative, but Nestlé said it had not reached a decision as to resuming operations and was "examining conditions" in Zimbabwe.
VOA was unable to reach Ncube on Tuesday or Wednesday to confirm his reported comments and seek a response to Passop's criticism.
Ncube is the secretary general of the Movement for Democratic Change wing headed by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara.
Passop Chairman Braam Hanekom told VOA Studio 7 reporter Patience Rusere that boycotting goods of companies doing business with ZANU-PF is the most effective way to promote democratic change in Zimbabwe.
The government meanwhile said it will hold a second international investment conference in February hoping to attract scarce capital to the country.
Finance Minister Tendai Biti said the so-called Friends of Zimbabwe Summit, as the event is being described, falls under Harare’s effort to step up re-engagement with the international community.
Biti said the unity government involving Mr. Mugabe's ZANU-PF and the MDC formations led by Mutambara and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is seeking partnerships, in particular to rebuild or expand the country’s worn-out infrastructure, notably water and sewage systems and roadways. The electric power grid is also in need of a major overhaul and modernization.
Economist Prosper Chitambara of the Labor and Economic Research Institute told VOA Studio 7 reporter Sandra Nyaira that the February conference, like one held in October, may not yield much in the way of investment as the government has yet to win the confidence of global investors. VOA
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Chigutiro Chikavangwena
on
30 July, 2010 12:48:03
Postmam
on
30 July, 2010 12:43:29
Qawe laMaqawe
on
29 July, 2010 11:10:51
nxa
on
29 July, 2010 10:21:47
bibi adepoju
on
29 July, 2010 09:54:17
Comments (11 posted):
In all honesty even a toddler an tell that you are a front of MDC... if not then you are anti-Zimbabwe whose severity is as bad as being a front. You don't want to see anything positive come ot of this effort.
If you are not anti-Zimbabwe or MDC-T front then you are opportunists who do not to benefit from the crisis in Zimbabwe. Can't you condition yourself to operate in a normal country and compete for opportunities in a normal econo,y as opposed to this current manner which is akin to operating like Mozambique's Matsanga.
Like typical Zimbabwean mentality, when favourable news is not reported for your political organisations, you take the vantage point to shout cheap accusations at others.
Then there are others obssessed with monopolising patriotism, like ZW above.
They think everything MDC is anti-Zimbabwe, and everything Zanu PF and Mutambara MDC is the real deal.
Give us a break!
Personally I do not want favourable news rather factual and balanced reporting. In this report, for instance, you did not talk to ZPF. Why? It is not monopolising patriotism when someone points your weakness about your anti-Zimbabwe stance. Its a fact and not monopoly and should be stated thus.
In your last paragraph you create something that I don't know where you got from. But on closer analysis, it contains the truth. It is MDC that has called for the destruction of the country through economic sanctions. It is the MDC-T that was refusing to work with other parties to solve their differences within the GPA framework. they wanted the UN and US and EU. You can't blame people for the truth. In fact, you have just showed yourself how you can be defensive of MDC-T. Our accusations are true, after all!!
What positive have you ever reported about Zimbabwe?
Accepting the fact that we are biased (we all are inherently)is it not strange to you that you always report negatively about MDC and ZPF and create MDC-T as victims or as saviours...even a toddler can see through this.
Personally I do not want favourable news rather factual and balanced reporting. In this report, for instance, you did not talk to ZPF. Why? It is not monopolising patriotism when someone points your weakness about your anti-Zimbabwe stance. It’s a fact and not monopoly and should be stated thus.
In your last paragraph you create something that I don't know where you got from. But on closer analysis, it contains the truth. It is MDC-T that has called for the destruction of the country through economic sanctions. It is MDC-T that was refusing to work with other parties to solve their differences within the GPA framework. It wanted the UN and US and EU to solve the problem through regime change. You and your newspaper were the cheerleaders. You can’t then turn around and blame people for characterizing you in the manner you presented yourself.
In fact, your last comments have just showed yourself how you can be defensive of MDC-T. Our accusations are true, after all!!
What positive have you ever reported about Zimbabwe? Did you, at any time condemn the economic sanctions or the regime agenda? If not, then (surely without monopolizing patriotism) how can we believe that you love your country?
Even now, the way you treat and report on different parties shows your bias that you wear on your sleeve. I hope you take this criticism in a positive manner. I don’t mean to be confrontational. This is feedback as a regular reader. Your negative reporting has never discouraged me from reading your news. I learn something everytime.
Ruppert Murdoch of Newscorp has openly ordered his newspapers, ie The Sun and The Times, in the UK, New York Post etc and TV stations like FOXNEWS, Sky TV to openly back certain rightwing political parties.
Even in South Africa, Trevor Ncube's Guardian used to openly back Thambo Mbeki and fought hard to stop Zuma become President.
On the issue of the MDC calling for sanctions, I think you got it from State propaganda and it has sunk hook and sinker in your mind.
But, what I want to ask you is, would you have expected the whites not to impose sanctions when their kith and kin were under attack during the land invasions.
So, where does the MDC come in on that state of affairs?
Afterall they're not economic sanctions, but mere travel restrictions.Period!
You say, “On the issue of the MDC calling for sanctions, I think you got it from State propaganda and it has sunk hook and sinker in your mind”. I think between you and me, I am an independent thinker than you. If there are no economic sanctions then why did the MDC-T sign the GPA acknowledging the economic sanctions and pledging to have them removed? It’s MDC-T who signed that document and not me. Secondly, read section 4 and section 6 of ZIDERA of 2001. Both sections apply economic sanctions but Sect 4 to Zimbabwe and Sect 6 to individuals. But both, according to the definition of economic sanctions constitute economic sanctions. Read your political science!! Now I am not sure who is brainwashed between you and I?
Conversely, you did not want the land reforms to move ahead? You actually wanted the West to halt the land reform. Your reasoning is very interesting for a journalist and a patriot!!! MDC (before they split) supported the imposition of the economic sanctions – that’s where they come in. I like the way you are defending MDC-T. At least it’s now on record!
I gave you a clear example of Ruppert Murdhoch who backed Tony Blair and New Labour, and this time around he has made a political gymnastic sammersault backing the rightwing Conservatives of David Cameron.
Media houses are business joints who seek to maximise profits no matter what the shareholders believe in.
Therefore, I cannot be seen selling the late Ndabaningi Sithole's ZANU Mwenje agenda when I know very well that the customer base is very narrow and not viable.
Mutambara agenda is simply not viable enough to keep us in business and the same to the declining Zanu PF.
We live in a real world, not on patriotism or allegiance to some mediocrity.
Nobody hides behind ideology, they actually state it. No normal person is not guided by ideology...you have just outlined your business ideology. Why should it be good to you to have an ideology and yet criticise others for having not only ideologies but openly declared and acceptable ideologies. Unfortunately, your ideology is not accepted within the professional journalism fraternity.
As I said, it’s good that all this is public record now. If I had stated it, people would not believe me, but this comes from the horse's mouth.
So what we have proven is that
1. You are not an ethical journalist/media house – you only have business concerns.
2. You report for MDC-T because you believe each media house has to support a political party. So do not pretend to be neutral when you are not.
3. You do not care about facts as long as they sell your story. Here we can think of the economic sanctions misinformation.
4. You are not a patriot…interesting because you suggested that people like us want to monopolise patriotism when in fact you are the one who shuns it. Here is what you say about patriotism “We live in a real world, not on patriotism”; after you had said, “Then there are others obssessed with monopolising patriotism, like ZW above”. I am only practicing patriotism that you think is fantasy not monopolizing it.
I hope the New Year brings you an ethical business model, not the one you are in right now. If you go to school you will realize the abundant opportunities that you can have with your journalism without resorting to such uncivilized business models. You obviously do not understand how you are central in facilitating nation building, informing and educating.
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