As was the case in 2018, we again recorded seven (7) cases involving the intimidation and
harassment of journalists during the course of their work. Some of these media freedom
violations were perpetrated by supporters of the major political parties, Zanu PF and MDC
Alliance.
Notable cases, among others, involve Costa Nkomo, journalist with 263Chat, who was on 9
January 2019, assaulted by the police as they were rounding up vendors in Harare’s central
business district. On 4 April 2019, police fired teargas canisters into the 263Chat offices as
they pursued journalist Lovejoy Mutongwizo who had been covering an operation by the
police and Harare Municipal police.
One of the police officers reportedly fired a canister at the journalist, which struck him on the
abdomen.
On 7 June 2019, Nunurai Jena, correspondent with VOA’s Studio 7, was arrested and
detained without charges for about three hours by police in Kadoma after they spotted him
taking pictures of a roadblock (police checkpoint), mounted close to a polling station in
Rimuka township.
These violations of media freedom continued with the assault of Talkmore Fani Mapfumo,
journalist with online publication Zim Morning Post on 16 August 2019. He was assaulted by
anti-riot police while filming the police as they were dispersing protesters in Harare’s central
business district.
Leopold Munhende, journalist with NewZimbabwe.Com, was on 23 August 2019 arrested at
the New Government Complex in Harare while covering a demonstration by members of the
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union, despite him duly producing his accreditation card.
On 19 October 2019, anti-riot police assaulted Ruvimbo Muchenje, a journalist with Alpha
Media Holdings, with batons during running battles between the cops and vendors in
Harare’s central business district after a female police officer reportedly alerted her
colleagues to her presence saying: there is a photojournalist deal with her. She sustained
injuries following the assault.
Of concern as has been the case over the years, is these cases involve members of the police
who are supposed to protect journalists and the citizens in general. Worse still, the

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