THE Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) has appealed to the government to order some of its top officials such as Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede to zip-up and avoid making “reckless” statements on sensational matters like family planning.
MOSES MATENGA/SILENCE CHARUMBIRA
Addressing journalists attending a media workshop in Nyanga last week, ZNFPC technical services director Edmore Munongo said Mudede’s recent attack on contraceptives was against government policy on family planning and had confused the population.
Munongo said “prophets of doom” regarding the matter of contraceptives should be silenced by government.
Two months ago, Mudede stirred heated debate after he published an opinion article in the public media attacking use of contraceptives, describing them as a ploy by Western countries to curb Africa’s population growth.
He said contraceptives were responsible for the spread of such diseases as cervical cancer.
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Said Munongo: “As ZNFPC, we have tried to correct that. We have taken it up with the Health ministry to make a statement. The ministry has made a statement to address that issue. On covering that, the time and space you have given prophets of doom has been bigger than the time and space that you have given to technical people who give the correct advice.”
“You can help as journalists by dispelling such myths,” Munongo said.
He said the ZNFPC had embarked on an overdrive to market the new female condom FC2 in the background of high sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies in southern Africa compared to other parts of the world.