• ALERT Date: December 10, 2007 Persons/Institutions: Oarabile Mosikare Violation: Threatened On December 10 2007, a prominent businessman and ruling Botswana Democratic Party councillor, Robert Muzila, is alleged to have verbally harassed Mmegi newspaper journalist Oarabile Mosikare. Mosikare has since lodged a harassment complaint against Muzila with the Francistown Central Police station. Muzila is also said to have accused Mosikare of writing articles that “belittle and insult his person”. Mosikare told MISA Botswana that he tried to advise Muzila to talk to his supervisors. He says Muzila accused him of involvement in politics. “Mr Muzila took issue with the article I wrote recently, headlined ‘What is it with the Robert Ms’, that appeared in ‘Mmegi’ of November 23, 2007”, Mosikare said. Apparently Muzila took particular offence at being described as “pint-sized” and being compared to one Robert Masitara. Mosikare says Muzila told him that everything that he wrote about him was actually directed at the complainant’s father. This is regarded as an insult in Botswana culture. • ALERT Date: September 10, 2007 Persons/Institutions: Media in Botswana Violation: Censored On September 10 2007, chairperson of Botswana’s Ntlo ya Dikgosi (House of Chiefs), Kgosi Seepapitso IV, locked media workers out of the briefing that the House of Chiefs had with the Minister of Local government, Margaret Nasha. September 11 reports in both Mmegi and Midweek Sun newspapers indicate that the chief simply announced that outsiders were not welcome and emphasised that he was also referring to the media. The papers claim they were invited to the meeting. Clerk of the National Assembly, Earnest Mpofu however claimed that the meeting that the media was blocked from was not the official opening of the house which they were invited to. • ALERT Date: September 5, 2007 Persons/Institutions: Chenjelani Baraedi Violation: Beaten Journalist Chenjelani Baraedi who works for the weekly, The Voice newspaper, instituted charges against several police officers of the Francistown Central Police whom he alleged assaulted him on Wednesday, September 5, 2007. Baraedi told MISA Botswana that he was with a colleague, Peter Madiya, at the time of the incident. According to him, three plain clothed officers pounced on him and started beating him for no stated reason. • ALERT Date: August 20, 2007 Persons/Institutions: Media, citizens of Botswana Violation: Legislation The Minister of Communications, Science and Technology, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi has told Parliament that her government has no intention to come up with a Freedom of Information Act. She is quoted in the media as having said structures to disseminate information have been setup and they would rather improve on those than establish a Freedom of Information Act. ‘Sunday Standard’ newspaper quoted a number of members of parliament from both sides of So This Is Democracy? 2007 -28- Media Institute of Southern Africa