cancelled TeleAccess’ licence to provide fixed public telecommunications services in terms of Section 43 of the Postal and Telecommunications Act. POTRAZ said the licence had been cancelled after TeleAccess failed to provide the service by May 1, 2003, in terms of the licensing conditions. December 07, 2005: In a public notice, TeleAccess said it is appealing against the cancellation of its licence. TeleAccess said it is appealing to the Minister of Transport and Communications in terms of Section 96 of the Postal and Telecommunications Act Chapter 12:05 against the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority’s decision to cancel the licence. ALERT Date: November 08, 2005 Persons/Institutions: Lovemore Matombo, Wellington Chibebe, Last Taribuka Violation: Detained On November 8 2005, Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) leaders, Lovemore Matombo (President), Wellington Chibebe (Secretary-General) and Last Taribuka, a photographer with the ZCTU’s newsletter, The Worker, were arrested together with 100 other demonstrators following demonstrations in Harare against the ever-rising cost of living. Taribuka was arrested while covering the demonstrations. ALERT (including updates) Date: October 07, 2005 Persons/Institutions: Independent/private media in Zimbabwe Violation: Threatened On October 7 2005, Dr Ibbo Mandaza, suspended founding chief executive and editor-in-chief of the Zimbabwe Mirror Newspapers Group, confirmed that the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) had infiltrated the media house by wresting a majority shareholding through a company known Unique World Investments. November 22, 2005: An independent labour tribunal is set up to probe Mandaza’s ouster from the Zimbabwe Mirror Newspapers Group (ZMNG) fails to proceed with the hearings after parties to the dispute failed to agree on the need for independent arbitration. November 1, 2005: Retired Chief Justice Anthony Gubbay is selected to chair an independent labour panel to determine the suspension of Mandaza. October 11, 2005: High Court Judge Justice Bharat Patel suggests that a retired judge should hear the case in which Mandaza is contesting his ouster from the Zimbabwe Mirror Newspapers Group. September 16, 2005: Mandaza denies media reports that his newspaper group is controlled by Zimbabwe’s secret service. August 16, 2005: Mandaza denies, in an interview with the SABC, any shareholding by the CIO in the ZMNG. The Zimbabwe Independent had published a story alleging the CIO controlled the newspaper company. ALERT Date: October 7, 2005 Persons/Institutions: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)-Zimbabwe Violation: Censored On October 7 2005, Thembinkosi Sibanda, a Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (Zanu PF) councilor in Dete, Matabeleland North Province, barred a meeting organised by MISA-Zimbabwe under its Community Radio Initiatives, saying the police had not cleared the meeting. ALERT So This Is Democracy? 2005 -162- Media Institute of Southern Africa