Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa on Monday dismissed social media reports that Cyclone Joanina was making its way towards Zimbabwe from the Indian Ocean.
She said the social media claims were meant to cause panic among Zimbabweans who are still recovering from the effects of Cyclone Idai in the east of the country.
The minister said although Cyclone Joanina was indeed gathering momentum in the Indian Ocean it was not true that it would affect Zimbabwe as it was “based in the Indian Ocean far away from the African continent.”
“So far expert evidence suggests that Cyclone Joanina will start and end in the Indian Ocean, not even affecting Madagascar, which shields the sub-continent from the high seas,” Mutsvangwa told journalists in Harare.
She said Zimbabwe’s Meteorological Services Department was continually monitoring the weather developments in the Indian Ocean, including Cyclone Joanina and would keep the nation informed.