Sources close to developments at the company said Chamunorwa’s suspension over the airport security companies story was a smokescreen that was being used to scapegoat the pressure being brought to bear on the company’s board to push the editor out by certain powerful politicians. The pressure was so intense to the extent of spilling to the registration and renewal of the paper’s operating licence, notwithstanding the accreditation of its journalists by the state-controlled Media and Information Commission (MIC), in terms of the restrictive Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). In an interview at the end of January 2007, MIC chairman Tafataona Mahoso reportedly confirmed to “ZimOnline” that his commission had not renewed the weekly’s licence, but refused to be drawn to disclose further details. “It must be known that it is not an automatic renewal, there are things that we look at and get satisfied with before granting a licence and we are still looking at their application,” Mahoso told “ZimOnline” then. He added: “We are not saying they will get a licence or not.” Newspapers renew their publishing licences after every two years while journalists, who also require licences to practice, must renew theirs after every 12 months. MISA-Zimbabwe has it on good record that the “Financial Gazette”’s journalists were still to be duly accredited as of February 28, 2007, following the expiration of the company’s operating licence on December 31, 2006. • ALERT Date: March 11, 2007 Persons: Gift Tandare Violation: Other (political activist killed) Gift Tandare, an MDC activist, was shot and killed in Highfield on March 11, 2007, when police cordoned off Zimbabwe Grounds, venue of the planned national day of prayer organised under the auspices of the Save Zimbabwe Campaign, leading to the arrest and assault of the journalists, opposition and civic leaders. In a blatant violation of the fundamental rights of freedom of expression, assembly and association, on February 21, 2007, the government imposed a three-month ban on demonstrations and political rallies in Harare. • ALERT Date: March 8, 2007 Persons: Zimbabwe Mirror Newspaper Group (ZMNG) Violation: Other The Zimbabwe Mirror Newspaper Group (ZMNG), which publishes the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror, closed business on March 8, 2007, after failing to produce the newspaper on two consecutive days due to acute financial problems. • ALERT Date: March 5, 2007 Persons: Peter Moyo, Trymore Zvidzai, Andrew Neshamba, William Gumbo, Beauty Mokoba, Keketso Seofela Violation: Sentenced Zimbabwean E-TV reporter Peter Moyo, who is based in South Africa, has been fined Z$40,000 (approx. US$160) under the controversial Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) for practising journalism in Zimbabwe without accreditation. Moyo was convicted and fined together with Trymore Zvidzai, who is based in Zimbabwe, when they appeared before Mutare magistrate Tsungisai Madzivaidze following their arrest in that town on February 5, 2007, for contravening Section 83 (1) of AIPPA, which prohibits “ . . . persons other than an accredited journalist (to) practise as a journalist (or to) be employed as such …” They were arrested together with Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) employees, So This Is Democracy? 2007 -136- Media Institute of Southern Africa