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Mugabe spends $US 1.6 million on propaganda
Trust Matsilele, African Path
May 30, 2007

http://www.africanpath.com/p_blogEntry.cfm?blogEntryID=867

The cash strapped Zimbabwean government is alleged to have paid over $US 1.6 million dollars to The New African magazine as the government fights to clear bad publicity that emanated from the 11 March atrocities which left top MDC leadership with life threatening injuries while claiming Gift Tandare's life.

The New African is a leading pan African magazine which has in the past defended African governments from being demonised by the western media viewed by many African leaders as imperialistic and racial in nature with the view of recolonising Africa.

Sources close to the New African magazine established this development and were alarmed that Mugabe could spend such a figure when the country was experiencing economic woes.

The New African magazine carried over seventy seven sponsored pages of propaganda which Harare has suffered. Soon after the March 11 incidents Zimbabwe's ruling party got more sanctions from western governments. Mugabe has also received attacks from fellow African leaders such as the Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa and Ghana's John Agyekum Kufuor.

The issue featured an exclusive interview between Mugabe and Bafour Ankomah (Editor of the magazine). On the interview Mugabe boasted of police violence and made renewed threats to his opponents.

Some of the pages carried pictures of the alleged petrol bombed police officers. Media reports have however denied such reports after investigations established that the two female officers got burnt when their paraffin stove burst. Zimbabweans have been reduced to using paraffin stoves and firewood due the electricity blackouts.

Political have since questioned the democracy Zimbabwean government claims to be existing in the country when they saw pictures of burnt police officers on the magazine when the former ZBC cameraman was abducted and murdered by alleged state agents for selling pictures of brutalised Tsvangirai to the western media.

The Zimbabwean Republic Police used to be part of the country's middle class during the Ian Smith regime and just after independence and have now been reduced to Stone Age scavengers. Police use firewood and paraffin stoves as the country can only afford to buy electricity that light only four hours of the day.

Zimbabwean government is known for manipulating state media for channeling ZANU PF party propaganda and this has extended recently following the establishment of the Short Wave radio station meant for overseas market and the recent big purchase on New African.

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