Tsvangirai MDC Re-Launches Party Publication
Tsvangirai said the re-launch of the publication was ‘an indictment on the media industry in this country, particularly the public media
WASHINGTON D.C. — Movement for Democratic Change leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, on Friday re-launched the party’s publication, The Real Change Times, saying this will give the movement as opportunity to tell their story. The publication, which would be published in Harare and distributed monthly for free, was suspended in 2013 due to financial problems. Tsvangirai said the re-launch of the publication was ‘an indictment on the media industry in this country, particularly the public media which has a constitutional role to cover the diverse opinions in the country.’ “We pay tribute to the private media in this country for striving to tell the true story of Zimbabwe, particularly the opinion of the broad democratic movement that is never covered by the public media that have a constitutional obligation to carry the diverse opinions of the people of this country,” he said. The public media, the opposition leader said, has belittled itself by choosing to play servitude to the narrow and partisan interests of Zanu PF, in brazen violation of the national Constitution. “Today’s re-launch of our newspaper is our own puny effort to tell our own story to the people of Zimbabwe through a publication that we will be giving to Zimbabweans in all provinces for free,” said Tsvangirai. “So today, we are happy as we re-launch the people’s medium in which we will tell our own story.” He accused First Lady Grace Mugabe of trying to muzzle the media through threats at her rallies. Mrs. Mugabe recently attacked the independent for what she said was their obsession with her and her family, adding private media scribes were ignorant and needed further training.