Russian state media has ignored Emmerson Mnangagwa and his deputy Constantino Chiwenga.
By A Correspondent| As ZANU PF leader, Emmerson Mnangagwa flew to Russia last night, it emerged that the last time his name was mentioned in the Russian community, was back in August 2018.
This came despite celebratory articles in the ZANU PF state media at the weekend claiming Putin would meet Mnangagwa this week.
The absence of even a single mention of the man whose claim to presidency is a number-less court verdict by Chief Justice Luke Malaba made Mnangagwa (whose administration has destroyed Russian businesses), appear lower than a Zimbabwean civilian.
As reflected in database print-outs, Mnangagwa was last mentioned in the Russian community back in August, on the 26th, 48 hours after Luke Malaba’s controversial constitutional court verdict. The last time when his deputy, Constantino Chiwenga attempted to see President Putin in Moscow, he was bunked by the premier.
Despite boasting of visiting Moscow in August 2018, when he hoped to meet President Vladimir Putin, Chiwenga has been blighted by the Russian media and the last mention of him was back in December 2017 soon after removing Robert Mugabe. (BELOW WERE SOME OF THE DATABASE PRINT OUTS)
Chiwenga had hoped to get a media moment with President Putin where he would present a special nation-to-nation message. There was also a claim in the ZANU-PF state media that Chiwenga would meet Russian investors. But there was none at all visible, and furthermore no citing or media mention anywhere in Russia of Chiwenga. ZANU PF has gained a bad reputation in Russia of violating contracts granted to that country’s citizens. One of the contracts reneged by ZANU PF is a government to government mining business established in 1995 called DTZ.
Following the clear blackout, ZimEye.com in August had a conversation with one of the editors of the Russian television station, RT. The English speaking female was grilled on why Chiwenga’s visit was totally ignored by her station.
During the entire discourse, she refused to explain reasons why there was no mention of Chiwenga’s visit to that country.
“I am sorry but we can’t help you,” she said.
“I can’t help you,” she continued.
When pressed on why she could not explain or at least point to their failure to cover Chiwenga’s visit, she was non committal even to the point of refusing to reveal their running diary of President Putin’s itinerary.
The only person Chiwenga met was Russia’s Defence Minister General Sergei Shoigu, at the 2018 edition of International Army Games. The two met just before they visited the Zimbabwean stand at the House of Friendship before they proceeded to the VIP pavilion to see the final event — the tank biathlon. That was back in August and ever since then, there has been no mention of Chiwenga anywhere in the Russian media. (BELOW WERE SOME OF THE DATABASE PRINT OUTS)
