Mangwana urges media to help find solutions to conflicts
By Dumisani Ndlovu
The media has been urged to play a crucial role in conflict management by shaping public opinion and positively influencing decision makers, a senior government information personnel has said.
Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Nick Mangwana said this at a media sensitization workshop on Gukurahundi on Thursday.
The media plays a critical role in promoting peace and coming up with solutions to settle conflicts, and as such should report responsibly and constructively on these matters, a senior government official said on Thursday.
Gukurahundi refers to a government crackdown on an armed rebellion in the southern regions of the country in the early 1980s in which thousands of people are thought to have died. The workshop is being attended by senior reporters and editors from various media houses across the country.
Matabeleland and parts of the Midlands province were affected by Gukurahundi, which ended after rival political parties signed a Unity Accord in 1987.
In February 2019, the government embarked on an initiative to resolve outstanding issues around Gukurahundi, such as full disclosure of the number of victims, and come up with possible compensation.
In light of this development, government through the National Council of Chiefs is engaging various stakeholders, including the media to contribute to the resolution of the issue.
“Because the media has a critical role every time when resolutions of conflicts of the past are being sorted, the media, yes, you know you’ve got a double-edged sword,” Mangwana said.
“It’s either you inflame it or help resolve it. But we are yet to confront the positive things that we can get from the media. That is to help resolve past conflicts,” he said.
He said the engagement meeting was not meant to take away media independence but to implore media practitioners to conduct themselves in a professional manner.
“We are not taking away your independence by bringing you here. And by asking you to be partners, we are not taking away your independence. But we are asking you to work with us in a responsible manner. Let’s report sensitively, responsibly, accurately and constructively,” Mangwana said.
“But there’s one thing that I know. I know that we are not here to recruit you to be couriers or purveyors of our propaganda. It’s not the intention. We are here, and you are here, because in 2019, the President surprised the nation. He was being interviewed by some of you here on Independence Day. And somehow the conversation of Gukurahundi came in. And he says, in my opinion, this conversation must take place.”
“People should speak freely on this subject. And this subject must be debated in the media. And you are the media. Soon after, he (President Mnangagwa) started this program, which I’m not going to go into because it belongs to the Chiefs,” Mangwana said.
He urged the media to remain focused during the Gukurahundi Outreach Programme and inform the nation of the events in a professional manner.
“So, we urge you to remain focused, to remain in those communities, to remain engaged no matter how much you think things are being repeated because it’s important for the nation to know what’s going on,” he said.
“The whole idea is that we should continue to arouse public interest. We should also approach it in a way where negative sentiments, which are there between certain communities again, are not in play. Let’s choose peace over strife. We are going to hunt in pairs, particularly in the first days,” Mangwana said.
