CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
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Zimbabwe |
MEDIA
Following the enforced closure of Zimbabwe’s only independent daily newspaper,
the Daily News, other media activities could be under threatPresident Robert Mugabe is well-known for his dislike of investigative journalism, and this proved to be one of the main reasons for The Daily News‘s problems with the government. The Daily News has always involved itself in this kind of journalism and had thus become a thorn in the flesh for the authorities.
The newspaper’s ban followed a ruling by the Supreme Court that it was operating illegally under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), which requires media houses and journalists to be registered and licensed. Both the paper and its proprietors, the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe, and the journalists under its roof have applied for and were denied the right to operate. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) complained about the ban, but to no avail.
Dissenting voices are either dying a natural death or are being forced to operate clandestinely — a development the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) takes advantage of, to clamp down on political activity.
Opposition trampled on
Loud cries from victims of political violence is a thing of the past, whereas the ruling party’s perpetrators of violence now have a clear field in which they can indiscriminately escalate their operations. President Mugabe’s party and government are fighting to regain popularity and restore an image which, as they say, «has been tarnished by The Daily News and foreign correspondents». The President is expected to retire soon but he prefers to do so when there is a clear run for his chosen successor (still to be named) and when challenges to his regime no longer exist.
In addition to AIPPA, the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) disallows street marches and public rallies without police clearance. Observers say that without public meetings and other events covered by the independent media, the opposition is doomed, whereas Mr Mugabe enjoys a monopolised political show.
ZANU-PF is poised to cripple the Opposition and restore the one-party rule of the 1990s. Getting rid of The Daily News is one of many strategies on the drawing board.
There are two other privately own weeklies — The Standard and the Zimbabwe Independent. These two publications have already been warned by the government: «We are coming to you».
- From a correspondent, ANB-BIA, Zimbabwe, October 2003 — © Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgment