Manicaland bureau chief Andrew Neshamba and Harare-based cameraperson William Gumbo, after they were found in possession of video equipment which they were using to cover illegal mining activities in Marange village in Manicaland Province. Neshamba and Gumbo, who are being charged under Section 174 (1) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23, which deals with criminal abuse of duty by public officers, were remanded to March 21, 2007 for trial. Their arrest and conviction follows that of Beauty Mokoba and Keketso Seofela from Botswana Television (BTV), who were the first non-Zimbabwean journalists to be convicted under AIPPA since its promulgation in 2002. Mokoba and Seofela pleaded guilty to contravening Section 83 (1) of the Act. The BTV journalists were also convicted on their own plea of contravening Section 12(1) of the Immigration Act. Beauty Mokoba and Keketso Seofela were arrested on 30 April 2006 in the south western town of Plumtree while covering measures being taken in Zimbabwe to combat an outbreak of foot and mouth disease. • ALERT Date: February 28, 2007 Persons/Institutions: Voice of America’s Studio 7 Violation: Censored The Zimbabwe government has admitted that it is jamming the Voice of America’s Studio 7 broadcasts into the country, claiming its actions are aimed at protecting Zimbabwe’s sovereignty. The admission was made in Parliament on February 28, 2007, by the Deputy Minister of Information and Publicity Bright Matonga while responding to a question by Kambuzuma parliamentarian Willas Madzimure. Madzimure had asked why the government was jamming Studio 7, which is manned by Zimbabwean journalists and broadcasters exiled in Washington DC. “We cannot allow foreigners to invade our airwaves without our authority,” said Matonga. “We will continue to do it. We need to protect our sovereignty. If you go to England you will not receive any foreign radio stations.” • ALERT Date: February 26, 2007 Persons: Herbert Chikosi Violation: Threatened On February 26 2007, Police at Masvingo questioned freelance journalist Herbert Chikosi, following the publication of a story by The Zimbabwean, which alleged that members of the force in the town had refused to sing the national anthem in protest over poor salaries. • ALERT Date: February 21, 2007 Persons: Citizens of Zimbabwe Violation: Other The police imposed a three-month ban on demonstrations and political rallies in Harare in terms of Section 27 of the repressive Public Order and Security Act (POSA) which allows for the temporary prohibition of the holding of public gatherings within police districts for a period of three months. The police cited the violence, looting and destruction of property in Highfield on February 18, 2007, and Kambuzuma on February 4, as reasons for the ban. On February 18 the police violently stopped a High Court sanctioned rally in Highfield, which had been planned for by the opposition MDC to launch its 2008 presidential campaign. March 1, 2007: The opposition MDC lodged an appeal with the Minister of Home Affairs So This Is Democracy? 2007 -137- Media Institute of Southern Africa