Charamba dismisses ‘Icarus’ audios

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesperson George Charamba has distanced his principal and government  from leaked audios connected to Wicknell Chivayo, by  insinuating that the offensive name-dropping could have been a way to scare away other business partners following a fallout.

In the audios, a voice that is alleged to be that of Chivayo is bragging to have President Mnangagwa under his wings.

Responding under his X account that uses the pseudonym dhonzamusoro007, Charamba said  that such claims in the audios do not necessarily become true because they have been made .

He added that this smacks of a plot by detractors that is aimed at tarnishing the President’s name.

“WHAT INSANITY: You have business partners who dribble one another. In the ensuing fallout, one of them allegedly name-drops in order to scare away the rest.

On the whole, claims meant to intimidate others involved in a partnership so far away from the domain of Government, cannot be an issue for the President, his Office, or Government as a whole.

He called on the media to interview first Wicknell Chivayo, in order to authenticate the voice clip and to hear his side of the story?

“Why does one get the sense there is a determination to sow and cultivate mere tall claims whose relationship to the media-accused is yet to be proven, hoping that such claims will one day attach to the President, grow and mature into some nonexistent scandal enormous enough to trip him? Nothing can be more insane!”

Charamba added that that ZEC was an independent Commission protected by the law and no one should incite the Government into breaking the law by diminishing ZEC’s status as a legal persona.

“It enters into contracts as it sees fit, and in terms of the laws of the country. Government may not interfere in its decisions, without raising fundamental questions on the Commission’s independence.

“No one should incite Government into breaking the law by diminishing ZEC’s status as a legal persona.

“Besides, it cannot answer for itself. No one has approached it for a comment, in the current mad stampede to self-interview, and to become a self-appointed jury.

“Starlink is not a government parastatal and  Who it goes into partnership with is its business. Unless one is beside oneself, one cannot cite CDE Chivhayo’s deal with Starlink – whatever it is or amounts to – as evidence that he is being favored in the award and issuance of Government tenders.”

There is no Government in Starlink; there is no Govt tender either! His Excellency the President merely announced Government’s authorization of the service, after positive recommendations from a Cabinet Committee set up to advise Government on the prudence or otherwise of allowing the satellite service in the country.