State of the media in Southern Africa - 2003 ■ ALERTS • DATE: January 3, 2003 PERSONS/INSTITUTIONS: Kennedy Murwira, Norna Edwards VIOLATIONS: Detained (charged) O n January 3 2003, Norna Edwards, editor of The Mirror, a Masvingo-based weekly news paper, was arrested and charged with contravening section 80 of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The police are also reportedly looking for reporter Kennedy Murwira, who wrote the story. MISA-Zimbabwe was made to understand that Murwira was planning to hand himself over to the police on January 6. • DATE: January 10, 2003 PERSONS/INSTITUTIONS: Lewis Machipisa VIOLATIONS: Threatened T he state media and the government have accused Zimbabwean journalist Lewis Machipisa of spying for the BBC and SW Radio Africa, a London-based community radio station. In a front-page lead story that appeared in the state-owned weekly The Sunday Mail on December 22 2002, the paper said that Machipisa is now working for the BBC and SW Radio Africa “despite the fact that the government banned the BBC from operating in Zimbabwe after accusations that the station was peddling falsehoods.” The government has also labelled SW Radio Africa as a hostile station, which officials accuse of peddling “anti-Zimbabwe propaganda.” • DATE: January 13, 2003 PERSONS/INSTITUTIONS: Daily News VIOLATIONS: Legislation (negative) B eatrice Moyo, the wife of Minister of Information and Publicity Jonathan Moyo, has in structed her lawyers to sue The Daily News newspaper for 10 million Zimbabwe dollars (US$182,000), for damages allegedly caused by an article that appeared in the paper on January 13 2003. Beatrice Moyo is also demanding that the paper retract the story and issue an apology. According to reports broadcast by the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), Beatrice Moyo contends that the article entitled ‘Moyo Beats Up Wife’, is “untrue, malicious, and has caused suffering and damage to (her) dignity and social standing.” • DATE: January 14, 2003 PERSONS/INSTITUTIONS: Brian Mangwende VIOLATIONS: Threatened E rnest Mungwari, who runs one of Zimbabwe’s largest transport companies, Tenda Transport Private Limited, is reported to have hired thugs to beat up Brian Mangwende, The Daily News bureau chief in the eastern border city of Mutare. • DATE: January 24, 2003 PERSONS/INSTITUTIONS: Fanuel Jongwe VIOLATIONS: Charged, detained, equipment confiscated, released F anuel Jongwe, a senior journalist with The Daily News newspaper, was arrested with five foreigners on January 24 2003, in the mining town of Zvishavane. The group was charged with “practicing journalism without a licence” under Section 72 (1) of the Access to Informa- So This Is Democracy? 2003 117 Media Institute of Southern Africa