They Looted 15 Billion Dollars But Harrasing Hopewell Chin’ono Over Ownership Of Mbudzi, the Zimbabwean rulling party is running a campaing to tarnish journalist Hopewell Chin'ono image over ownership of goats on his rural home.
The government of Zimbabwe is reportedly terrorising anti-corruption advocate and investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono, claiming to be the source of his successful boer goats project.
Chin’ono who has been arrested several times after exposing high level corruption involving sometimes President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s family and top government officials, has a flourishing boer goat farm in Murewa, 87,6km from Harare.
He has papers showing that he bought them from Wyksrus Stud based in Nigel near Joburg, South Africa.
But the state broadcaster ZBC published a story this week alleging that Chin’ono was a beneficiary of the controversial Command Agriculture programme where he was given the goats by the government.
Chin’ono dismissed the ZBC story.
“The regime’s broadcaster ZBC has broadcast a propaganda news piece lying that the Government gave me goats & land, it never did,” he said.
“They forced my housekeeper to speak on camera!
“I bought my goats with my money in South Africa from Wyksrus Stud based in Nigel near Joburg.” “The regime is now on a warpath creating lies that it gave me land/goats which it never did!
“In the past I have ignored the lies but this time I have instructed my lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa to deal with the case because the world needs to know what sort of dictatorship we are under!
“It is despicable that a whole government would terrorize a citizen because he is practicing ethical journalism!
“It is even more sad that Zanu-PF regime would go to my village terrorizing my workers and relatives because of my views and opinions. It is really shameful!
He further said he had evidence of senior government officials “writing to me asking if they could buy goats from me. I am now consulting my lawyers!”
Piers Pigou, southern Africa analyst at the International Crisis Group slammed the Zanu-PF regime for harassing Chin’ono.
“The campaign by state and Zanu-PF actors against Hopewell Chin’ono is an astonishing and reckless counterproductive exercise that seems intended not only to harass Chinono, but to demonstrate a continued penchant for intimidation and fabrication,” he said.
