Zanu-PF youth leader Taurai Kandishaya mobilised the ruling party’s supporters to go to Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono’s rural village in Murehwa on Sunday, threatening to invade and forcibly take possession of his Boer goat breed project.
In a series of tweets, Kandishaya accused Chin’ono of benefitting from a state-sponsored agriculture programme and incited youths to go and collect the goats.
“This project was meant to be passed on. Government distributed goats to farmers so they breed and pass to others. Hopewell Chin’ono personalised the project. Now is time for the youth of Zimbabwe to demand their share. Here are your goats. Go and collect your share. Down with the goat looter,” said Kandishaya.
He later backtracked and failed to forcibly take possession of the Boer goats as villagers, civic society leaders and Citizens Coalition for Change activists went to Chin’ono’s rural village to defend his property.
Chin’ono, through his lawyers, sought police intervention and provided documentary evidence that he bought the Boer goats in SA.
He told TimesLIVE the threats to invade his rural home and forcibly take his goats was an attempt to silence him and many other journalists in Zimbabwe.
“The attack on my private property at my rural home, the attempt to steal my goats, was triggered by the speech I made in Geneva in Switzerland when l spoke about the health delivery system in Zimbabwe and how it has broken down.
“I talked about how the whole country, the public health system of Zimbabwe, does not have a single radiotherapy cancer machine that is working. l talked about how 2,500 women are dying every year because the biggest maternity hospital in Zimbabwe has two maternity theatres and only one is working. They were built in 1977. Zanu-PF never built a single maternity theatre at the biggest hospital, Sally Mugabe Central Hospital.
“This is an attempt to muzzle me, silence me and many other journalists from speaking about the situation in Zimbabwe. It is an abuse by the ruling party of its power, it’s an abuse of state institutions because they are made to watch. The police are meant to intervene but they didn’t.”
TimesLIVE
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‘Goat grab’ by Zanu-PF youth foiled by Zimbabwean journalist and allies
Image: Alaister Russell
Zanu-PF youth leader Taurai Kandishaya mobilised the ruling party’s supporters to go to Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono’s rural village in Murehwa on Sunday, threatening to invade and forcibly take possession of his Boer goat breed project.
In a series of tweets, Kandishaya accused Chin’ono of benefitting from a state-sponsored agriculture programme and incited youths to go and collect the goats.
“This project was meant to be passed on. Government distributed goats to farmers so they breed and pass to others. Hopewell Chin’ono personalised the project. Now is time for the youth of Zimbabwe to demand their share. Here are your goats. Go and collect your share. Down with the goat looter,” said Kandishaya.
He later backtracked and failed to forcibly take possession of the Boer goats as villagers, civic society leaders and Citizens Coalition for Change activists went to Chin’ono’s rural village to defend his property.
Chin’ono, through his lawyers, sought police intervention and provided documentary evidence that he bought the Boer goats in SA.
He told TimesLIVE the threats to invade his rural home and forcibly take his goats was an attempt to silence him and many other journalists in Zimbabwe.
“The attack on my private property at my rural home, the attempt to steal my goats, was triggered by the speech I made in Geneva in Switzerland when l spoke about the health delivery system in Zimbabwe and how it has broken down.
“I talked about how the whole country, the public health system of Zimbabwe, does not have a single radiotherapy cancer machine that is working. l talked about how 2,500 women are dying every year because the biggest maternity hospital in Zimbabwe has two maternity theatres and only one is working. They were built in 1977. Zanu-PF never built a single maternity theatre at the biggest hospital, Sally Mugabe Central Hospital.
“This is an attempt to muzzle me, silence me and many other journalists from speaking about the situation in Zimbabwe. It is an abuse by the ruling party of its power, it’s an abuse of state institutions because they are made to watch. The police are meant to intervene but they didn’t.”
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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