By Dr Masimba Mavaza | The story that unfolded in Harare seemed tailor-made to stare and brew some ugly scenes in Zimbabwe. During a plan for a labour dispute and a demonstration by medical doctors in Zimbabwe Dr Peter Magombeyi warned his colleagues about how easier it could be used to target their families and themselves. Then he sent up a message to his colleagues that there are men who promised to kidnap him.
Few days later a story about an unnamed doctor was supposedly kidnapped and held in an unknown place. Then demonstrations were called out to allegedly force the kidnappers to release Dr Magombeyi.
After selling their stories to the international press and carrying on demonstrations which were actually meant for the foreign press not for anyone else,the good Dr appeared in Nyabira in a village fit and alive. He phoned the secretary general of the Drs association.
In the past few weeks, a series of faked abductions and false abduction claims have surfaced. The hoaxes of this sort is fascinating—finding out what motivates one person to deceive another. In the case of faked abductions, often the “victim” does it for sympathy or attention; other times the story is given to cover up for illegal or embarrassing behavior. In this case Dr Peter Magombeyi and all Doctors used the faked abduction to bring the country to disrepute. There is a strong plot against the Zimbabwean government and the doctors who took an oath of putting the patients first have been used for political gains.
The actions of the doctors is deeply depressing and flabbergasting.
The fact that there is United Nations conference this week and the strike by doctor’s same week its not a coincidence. There is a calculated move by the Doctors to embarrass Zimbabwe.
The kidnapping story was a key reason America issued a threat ro Zimbabwe and again the EU weighed behind the doctors who were motivated by a fake story of kidnap. At the moment, it seemed like something we should look at,” EU SPOKES PERSON said in a phone interview, after repeating the story about the alleged kidnapping.
But reached by phone The doctors association changed their story about the kidnapping.
The doctors brought up the kidnapping to illustrate generally how criminals have been known to mine the internet for information. This was a departure from their initial loud sounding nothing demonstrations which paralysed the hospitals in the country. This week the ZANU-PF Politburo criticised the alleged kidnapping of Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association acting president Dr Peter Magombeyi over the weekend, and called for security agencies to intensify investigations into the matter.
Zanu-PF secretary for Information and Publicity Cde Simon Khaya Moyo told journalists after the Politburo meeting that it was sad that the barbaric act coincides with the visit to Zimbabwe of United Nations Special Rapporteur, Mr Clement Nyaletsossi Voule. This then gave a question whether this was s coincidence or a pre planned sabotage by the third force taking the doctors planned strike to their advantage. The behavior of Dr Peter Magombeyi suggests a lot of under hand control.
Critically, the alleged kidnapping also comes ahead of the United Nations General Assembly slated for New York which President Mnangagwa is expected to attend. Already demonstrations are planned to take place in the USA to embarrass Mnangagwa.
This has raised suspicion among neutral observers that the alleged kidnap reports are well-timed to tarnish the country’s image.
So the abductions have become imaginations, which are mainly coming to prominence to coincide with high level visitations to the country by prominent dignitaries and also at a time when international forums are being convened especially the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York, next week.
The law enforcement agents must relentlessly pursue the malcontents involved in these vulgar deeds by the third force powering our opposition and its affiliates thereof.
The faked abduction of Dr Magombeyi, in a desperate bid to soil the reputation of Government and the ruling party. The reasons behind this is very disturbing and unfortunate.
The profanity of all this is the fact that innocent doctors are used to propel an agenda which is not in their interest. The attention which was given to this futile effort to demonise Zimbabwe shows that Zimbabwe still attracts negative attention brewed by our own respected people.