Jonathan Moyo says he lied David Coltart was Selous Scout

October 2, 2018

The Insider

2nd October 2018

Former Information Minister Jonathan Moyo says he lied that former Education Minister David Coltart was a member of the notorious Selous Scouts, but it has taken him 17 years to set the record straight.

Moyo said Coltart was his friend but that was only after Coltart asked him to put the record straight now that they saw “eye to eye on political matters”.

“The claim that @DavidColtart was a Selous Scout is false,” Moyo responded on his twitter handle. “I started it as banter in 2001 & spread it by exaggerating David’s aknowledged service in the BSAP (British South Africa Police) in Rhodesia. The BSAP & Selous Scouts were not one & the same thing. David is my good friend!”

Selous Scouts were a notorious unit of the Rhodesian army which masqueraded as guerillas and killed either liberation fighters or civilians with the guerillas being blamed for the atrocities.

One of Moyo’s followers Nzou Nyaokorefu asked: “Do you know how many of us r crazy believers out there and will believe anything that we told without “Independent” verification? That’s the impact when you r a public figure Prof. Unless you telling me I need to verify everything you say.”

Moyo said: “You must indeed verify what public officials say. It’s a necessity. Just look at what happens in mature democracies such as the US, UK & India. Factchecking is a business. Nothing is taken at face value. Nothing. Trust but verify! Prof Jonathan Moyo added,

“Public discourse is based on facts & opinions. The former are subject to verification & the latter to scrutiny. Facts are out there in data bases & archives, don’t store them in your head. Opinions are it, hence they are protected in the Bill of Rights as freedom of expression!

“Lastly & as previously noted here, good propaganda is not about telling lies but about exaggerating the truth or a fact by tweaking its context & blowing the tweaked context out of proportion. In Rhodesia, Selous Scouts & BSAP were separate armed forces serving one racist master!”

Another follower wekwaMtyambizi said he was not surprised at all at the turn of events.

“Mgabe & @nelsonchamisa are now friends, @DavidColtart & @ProfJNMoyo are now teling us of their friendship, @KbhasikitiGmai1 is now mdc, grac mgabe is now ful of @edmnangagwa praise. Almst 12mnths since coup no1 has bin jailed 4 coruption. Makudo ndemamwe.”