Africa, Headlines, Human Rights, Press Freedom

WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY-ZIMBABWE: Less Press, Little Freedom

Sekai Ngara

HARARE, May 2 2005 (IPS) - Last year, Zimbabwe earned itself a place on a list of the ‘World’s Worst Places to Be a Journalist’, published by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. Twelve months on, little has changed.

Another of the country’s few independent publications – ‘The Weekly Times’ – was forced to close shop earlier this year, after having its licence withdrawn by the state-controlled Media and Information Commission (MIC).

Under Zimbabwe’s 2002 Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Aippa), journalists and publishing houses must apply to the MIC for a licence to operate.

News organisations are not allowed to employ journalists who have failed to register with the commission. Those reporters who are caught practicing without the blessing of the MIC face imprisonment of up to two years.

‘The Weekly Times’ followed in the footsteps of Zimbabwe’s sole privately-owned daily, ‘The Daily News’, which was banned in 2003 along with its sister paper, ‘The Daily News on Sunday’. Another independent weekly, ‘The Tribune’, also had its licence withdrawn, in 2004.

Licences for journalists are renewable every twelve months while those for publishing houses are good for two years.

“The fear that one’s licence may not be renewed if he or she writes something the government may not like has introduced a certain element of self-censorship,” says Foster Dongozi, secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists and a senior reporter for ‘The Standard’ – an independent weekly. “One always has to be cautious when reporting issues considered sensitive by the government.”

Dongozi describes the requests for information put forward by the MIC as intrusive.

“Beside…your educational qualifications, you also need to give details such as your place of residence, your private phone numbers, e-mail address, passport details and the details of your spouse, where she works etc.”

This has fuelled fears, he adds, that the MIC is little more than an intelligence-gathering body set up by a state which is sensitive to the numerous allegations of poor governance and human rights abuse that have been made against it.

Unease about the intentions of the MIC prompts journalists to give the commission false information, says Dongozi, while certain free-lancers have opted to ignore the Aippa directive and work under pseudonyms.

But, the perils of registration constitute just a few of the challenges that Zimbabwean journalists face.

Even those who have the appropriate documents in hand are said to face hostility from government officials and members of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front – with certain ZANU-PF officials accusing reporters of gathering information for the opposition.

As a result, independent journalists cover ruling party functions at their own risk.

“Reporters have been harassed (at) ruling party events,” says Dongozi, who claims that the main opposition group – the Movement for Democratic Change – has also been known to look askance at journalists from the state-owned media: “The ruling party is, however, guilty in the majority of cases.”

Journalists also face an additional legislative hurdle in the form of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Bill, which makes it an offence to communicate information that proves to be false, and which may promote “public disorder or public violence” in Zimbabwe.

The law places reporters who are unable to substantiate facts with recalcitrant government officials in the position of having to hold off on publishing important stories indefinitely – lest the items prove inaccurate.

Anyone falling foul of the Criminal Law Bill is liable for a heavy fine or imprisonment of up to twenty years – or both. In addition, another clause in the bill criminalizes “abusive” and “indecent” statements about the presidency. What future, then, for the political cartoonist in Zimbabwe?

The country’s new minister of information, Tichaona Jokonya, has voiced a desire to improve relations between government and the independent media. Jokonya replaced Jonathan Moyo, widely believed to have been the architect of Aippa, after the latter was booted out of ZANU-PF for defying a party directive and standing as an independent in parliamentary elections held Mar. 31.

At a recent meeting of editors from the private and state media, Jokonya invited journalists to come up with ways in which Aippa could be amended to make the act more palatable.

This prompted some to sound a note of cautious optimism.

Vincent Kahiya, editor of the weekly ‘The Independent’, who attended the meeting, said the new minister sounded very enthusiastic. “What remains to be seen is whether the system will allow him to carry out his agenda,” he added.

Dongozi, however, is sceptical. “It can very well be diplomatic posturing,” he noted, but added that the media should make use of what he described as a “window of uncertainty” to engage the new information minister.

The current atmosphere of détente that Dongozi has remarked on may stem from the fact that ZANU-PF swept to victory in the March poll, in the midst of allegations that the electoral playing field was heavily tilted in its favour. The previous parliamentary election, held in 2000, and the presidential poll of 2002 were marred by allegations of irregularities.

In 2000, Zimbabwe also became the site of controversial farm occupations by supposed veterans of the country’s 1970s war of independence. These dealt a blow to the Zimbabwe’s beleaguered economy, which has also suffered from other forms of mismanagement.

Crucially, Jokonya has said he believes Aippa should stay on the books, albeit with possible amendments.

And, the ultimate arbiter of any possible change to the act, President Robert Mugabe, still appears supportive of the law.

In an interview with the South African Broadcasting Corporation soon after his party won the parliamentary election, Mugabe described Aippa as “a good law”, and said it was here to stay.

As the international community marks World Press Freedom Day this week (May 3), such words are unlikely to inspire confidence amongst reporters in Zimbabwe.

 
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