HARARE – Political turncoat, serial flip-flopper, media hangman, and former Information minister Jonathan Moyo emerged as the noisiest politician in 2011, according to observations by the Daily News.
Moyo tops the newspapers’ Noise Makers of the Year 2011 list owing to his exploits in the media that at one time nearly resulted in a regional threat to isolate Zimbabwe, especially President Robert Mugabe.
The former University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer attacked a Sadc appointed mediation team, telling off the point person in that team, Lindiwe Zulu.
He accused her of being an agent of the West, further claiming that Zulu worked with what he termed “regime change running dogs in the private media” to allegedly vilify Mugabe and the party he was once accused of working to split and institute leadership change.
Moyo was once “fired” from Zanu PF in 2004 and exposed to the chills of being in the political wilderness. During that time, he engaged American diplomats to whom he spewed all kinds of Zanu PF secrets.
These left the party exposed in the eyes of the Americans. For being an information agent of the Americans, Moyo was rewarded with the title “Useful Messenger.”
Still on South Africa, Moyo, who crafted the draconian Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Acts (Aippa), which also recognises gay rights, alleged that South African President, Jacob Zuma was not the right man to mediate in the Zimbabwean crisis.
On the local front, Moyo abused space in the state media, to spit all sorts of venom at all those that dared cross his path.
At one time, Moyo in his column quoted a front page story in the same issue suggesting he had seen the story before it was published, a fact which has up to now puzzled journalists even in the state media because the Zanu PF politburo member is not in the editorial department of the newspaper.
He would write long and winding articles attacking his perceived and real enemies in and outside Zanu PF. He used the space in the state media to propel himself to the zenith of Mugabe’s bootlickers.
On national television, Moyo was allocated lots of airtime to also attack Zanu PF’s opponents and those within the party he heavily despised.
In a nutshell, Moyo made noise even at times when he was not required to as most of his statements exposed him for one thing: being loaded with flip flopping statements in which he regularly contradicted himself.
Below is a list of other Noise Makers of the Year 2011!!!
President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party
The talk of an election in 2011, arising from the Zanu PF national people’s conference in 2010, saw Mugabe and his party make so much noise about elections in 2011.
At each and every gathering the party and its ageing president held during the year, the talk about the possibility of an election emerged as the party’s biggest occupation. Mugabe’s outcry for an election was so loud that even regional players became annoyed.
It was more of a threat than a call, with Mugabe at times telling all who cared to listen that he was ready to call for an election anytime.
However, thanks to the insistence of Sadc member states and stakeholders in Zimbabwe and the two other political parties in the inclusive government, that election never saw the light of day.
For that Mugabe and his Zanu PF cronies join the list of the 2011 Noise Makers of the Year.
Douglas Nyikayaramba
The recently promoted major-general was in the news making noise over security sector reforms. Nyikayaramba became the lonely voice defending the security sector’s misgivings about the proposed reforms in the sector as was being proposed by the two MDC formations.
He also spoke loudly on the holding of elections in 2011, throwing himself at the forefront of a Zanu PF campaign. Major General, you are more of a civil servant than a political party commissar. By so doing, you have taken away Webster Shamu’s job as a Zanu PF political commissar.
Zanu PF’s two million anti-sanctions petition signatures
The anti-sanctions petition was given more prominence in the media as the party became more and more desperate to convince the world its drive against sanctions imposed on some of its members was gaining momentum at the time.
Mugabe was called to launch the “two million signatures” at an event where pastors and prophets, including the VaPostori church members, were afforded hours on end to vilify the MDC and the West.
However, readers and consumers of various media products have not been told which drawer the petition has been tucked into where it is gathering dust and awaiting its chance to grace the rubbish bins.
Cuthbert Dube
The Zifa boss created chaos in the football fraternity after he invited foreign referees to officiate at local league and cup matches. Referees and other stakeholders were against Dube’s move but the Public Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS) boss remained defiant on his decision.
He was also in hot soup after he decided to thank Mbada Diamonds for sponsoring the Mbada Cup to the tune of $1 million — a feat that was meant for the Premier Soccer League which is the managing body of the country’s premier league.
These are some of our noisemakers of the year. Daily News
