Chikomo Senator Morgan Femai (MDC-T) yesterday said he was seeking legal advice on how to react to statements attributed to him by the media in which he allegedly uttered curious suggestions on how to curb the spread of HIV at a recent workshop for MPs in Kadoma.
In an interview with NewsDay yesterday, Femai said his statements had been taken out of context and the issue blown out of proportion by certain media outlets.
The Senator is alleged to have suggested during the workshop that government should come up with a law that compelled women to shave their heads, to bath less often and to be circumcised as a way to curb the spread of the pandemic.
But Femai yesterday disowned the statement, saying he was startled when he read the story in the media.
“I will comment (comprehensively) when I get legal advice, but what I know is that they are writing about me every day, but I do not own a newspaper where I can defend myself and they can write whatever they want about me until they no longer have anything to write,” said Femai.
“The problem is that I do not know who is behind this and even if I comment on the issue, it does not stop them from achieving their motive.”
Femai said what disturbed him most was that the comments he passed at the workshop were only meant to be light-hearted, shared during lighter moments and were not part of the formal debate of the workshop. His remarks, he said, were meant to make the sensitive debate less serious and encourage participants to speak out.
“I was at the workshop as a participant, but now newspapers want to portray the whole issue as if I commented on behalf of the MDC. At such workshops we sometimes joke and those jokes were not expected to be stories for the media,” he said.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora said Femai’s statements did not represent party views. “I have been able to summon Senator Femai about his alleged statements and I am satisfied the atmosphere at the seminar in question when it was said was jocular and they were making jibes at each other. He was not serious in his remarks and they do not represent the views of MDC-T,” he said.
