State of the media in Southern Africa - 2003
have no case to answer as they did nothing wrong. The office advised the police to go by way
of summons should new evidence arise against the two reporters.
• DATE: February 19, 2003
PERSONS/INSTITUTIONS: Simon Briggs
VIOLATIONS: Expelled

O

n February 19 2003, immigration offers at Harare International Airport barred a reporter
for the British newspaper Daily Telegraph from entering Zimbabwe. Cricket writer Simon
Briggs, who was due to cover the match between Zimbabwe and India on February 19, was
stopped upon arrival in Harare and told to return to Johannesburg.
• DATE: February 19, 2003
PERSONS/INSTITUTIONS: Philimon Bulawayo
VIOLATIONS: Detained, beaten, censored

O

n February 19 2003, soldiers manning queues at a supermarket in the capital, Harare,
assaulted photographer Philimon Bulawayo, of The Daily News newspaper, as he prepared to take pictures of the long winding queues.
Bulawayo was standing opposite Batanai Supermarket, preparing to take photographs, when
two soldiers approached him. The soldiers proceeded to beat him up, saying he was “likely to
take pictures.” After the assault, the soldiers handed him over to police, who confiscated his
camera. The police then handcuffed Bulawayo and took him to the Harare central police station, where he was made to sit on the floor while police officers beat him up.
• DATE: February 26, 2003
PERSONS/INSTITUTIONS: Daily News journalists
VIOLATIONS: Censored

J

ournalists with the private daily newspaper The Daily News were barred from covering
Parliament and sitting in the public gallery on February 26 2003. As justification for the
move, Parliament officials said the daily’s journalists are not accredited and the paper is not
registered with the Media and Information Commission.
• DATE: March 18, 2003
PERSONS/INSTITUTIONS: Gugulethu Moyo, Philemon Bulawayo,
VIOLATIONS: Detained, beaten

D

aily News photographer Philemon Bulawayo and the newspaper’s legal advisor, Gugulethu
Moyo, were arrested in Harare’s Glen View suburb and released from police custody that
same day. No charges were laid.
Bulawayo was arrested while taking pictures of police officers beating people in Harare’s Glen
View suburb. Zimbabwe was at a standstill on March 18 and 19, due to a stay-away called by
the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Moyo and Daily News lawyer Alec
Muchadehama were arrested and beaten when they visited the police station seeking Bulawayo’s
release. Muchadehama was released soon after his arrival at the police station.
Moyo and Bulawayo were released the evening of their detention after the High Court ruled
that their arrests were illegal. Bulawayo and Moyo have since gone to the Avenues Clinic for
treatment. Reports indicate that the two were badly injured. A Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) news crew was also reportedly attacked by a mob in Glen View suburb during
the demonstrations. A ZBC car was stoned, but the crew managed to escape uninjured.
So This Is Democracy? 2003

119

Media Institute of Southern Africa

Select target paragraph3