Tafadzwa Nyikadzino

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has assigned two special envoys to engage the Zimbabwean government on reports of difficulties that the country is facing.

In a statement, President Ramaphosa’s acting spokesperson Tyrone Seale said the two envoys, Dr. Sydney Mufamadi and Ms Baleka Mbete have been appointed as Special Envoys to Zimbabwe to engage the government and relevant stakeholders to identify ways in which the neighbouring country can assist.

“The President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Dr. Sydney Mufamadi and Ms Baleka Mbete as his Special Envoys to Zimbabwe, following recent reports of difficulties that the Republic of Zimbabwe is experiencing,”

“The Special Envoys are expected to engage the Government of Zimbabwe and relevant stakeholders to identify possible ways in which South Africa can assist Zimbabwe” reads the statement.

The envoys are expected to arrive in Zimbabwe soon after travelling arrangements are made.

The development comes after Zimbabweans launched an online protest dubbed #ZimbabweanLivesMatter on twitter which drew attention from various people across the world.

The harshtag saw people sharing videos and pictures while protesting against police brutality and human rights abuses in the country.

Earlier on, the government issued a statement dismissing reports of the existence of human rights abuses in Zimbabwe as a deliberate attempt to smear the country’s image.

“Government has taken note of false allegations of human rights abuse and crisis in the country being peddled by known political activists and misinformed individuals and global actors,”

“To set the record straighy, there is no crisis or implosion in Zimbabwe, Neither has there been any abduction or ‘war’ on citizens,”

“The deliberate attempt to smear the Country’s image is betrayed by the use of doctored images, old video clips and highly exaggerated claims on social media, all intended to paint a picture of a burning Zimbabwe,” reads the statement.