2022 Media Freedom Violations Table
Arrested/Charged/ Denied
bail/ Detained
Victim/Concerned Party

Issue

Date

Alpha Media Holdings
journalists Blessed Mhlanga and
Chengeto Chidi

Mhlanga and Chidi were
7 May, 2022
charged for contravening Section
25 (a) as read with Section
30 of Statutory Instrument
21/2005, which prohibits taking
of photographs within a polling
station. The alternative charge
was on disorderly conduct in
a polling station as defined
by section 89 of the Electoral
Act. They were subsequently
acquitted of the charges.

ZimLive Editor Mduduzi
Mathuthu

Mathuthu was charged with
6 June 2022
contravening Section 33 of the
Criminal Law (Codification
and Reform) Act which deals
with undermining the authority
of the President or insulting
the President. The charge
stemmed from a Tweet posted by
Mathuthu on his Twitter account
relating to President Emmerson
Mnangagwa’s address when
he suspended lending by banks
to both private companies and
government departments.

Freelance journalist Anyway
Yotamu

Yotamu was reportedly assaulted 7 July 2022
and arrested by the police in
Harare’s central business district
while covering an altercation
between city parking attendants
and touts.

Alpha Media Holdings editorin-chief Wisdom Mdzungairi
and senior reporter Desmond
Chingarande

Mdzungairi and Chingarande
were arrested and charged
under Section 164C of the
Criminal Law (Codification and
Reform) Act as amended by
the Cyber and Data Protection
Act following o a story they
published pertaining to the legal
squabbles relating to Glenforest
Memorial Park in Harare.

3 August, 2022

State of the Media Report    21

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