Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday said a Nigerian journalist who accosted President Robert Mugabe in Abuja did not embarrass the 91-year-old leader.
BY RICHARD CHIDZA
Mnangagwa was responding in the National Assembly to questions from Gokwe Nembudziya lawmaker Justice Mayor Wadyajena (Zanu PF) who wanted to know if the Nigerian government had apologised for the Sahara Television journalist’s behaviour during the inauguration of President Mahammadu Buhari in May “Under the Geneva Convention, the security of a visiting Head of State or foreign leader is the prerogative of the host government.
“In this case, it is the Nigerian government that should feel embarrassed because it failed in its duty,” Mnangagwa said.
“However, we have not received any apology from the Nigerians regarding the issue, but I am aware that the journalist has written to her government apologising for her behaviour and the embarrassment she caused her country.”
The Nigerian journalist asked Mugabe about his long stay in power and if there was respect for human rights in Zimbabwe.
Mugabe did not respond, but the episode made global headlines.
Mnangagwa also informed the National Assembly that he had not received instructions from Mugabe to change the country’s Constitution regarding the issue of presidential term limits.
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He was responding to a question from Highfield East MP Eric Murayi (MDC-T) on whether government had intentions to amend the national charter in the wake of reports attributed to the African Union chairperson on “presidential term limits”.
Meanwhile, Information minister Jonathan Moyo said Zimbabwe had complied with the requirements of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) 2006 deadline for migration to digital transmission by yesterday (June 17).
Moyo told Parliament in a ministerial statement last night that Zimbabwe was compliant with ITU’s non-interference requirements for continued operation of analogue transmitters.
“Zimbabwe is fully compliant with ITU requirement for operation of analogue transmission to the digital services of neighbouring countries for both the VHF frequency range (174-230MHz) and the UHF frequency range (470-694MHz). The affected neighbours in this regard are Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa and Botswana,” said Moyo.
Moyo said Zimbabwe has 10 analogue transmitters located in border areas, namely Beitbridge, Chiredzi, Chimanimani, Kamativi, St Albert’s Mission (Muzarabani), Kariba, Mutare, Nyanga, Plumtree and Victoria Falls which have the potential to cause interference to the digital services of neighbouring countries.
