Zimbabwe

Stanley Gama was subpoenaed to appear
in court on 6 May 2010 together with
four journalists from the weekly Standard
newspaper. The journalists will be state
witnesses in the criminal defamation
case against Harare Mayor Muchadeyi
Masunda and eight councillors on
allegations of defaming businessman
Philip Chiyangwa.
May 10, 2010: Harare magistrate Olivia
Mariga on 6 May 2010 postponed to
26 May 2010 the case in which five
journalists are state witnesses in the trial
of Harare mayor Muchadeyi Masunda
and eight councillors on allegations of
criminally defaming businessman Philip
Chiyangwa.
23 June 2010: The trial of Harare
mayor Muchadeyi Masunda and eight
councillors on allegations of criminally
defaming businessman Philip Chiyangwa
in which five journalists will appear as
witnesses was on 22 June 2010 moved to
23 September 2010 by Harare magistrate
Olivia Mariga.
September 23, 2010: Harare magistrate
Olivia Mariga on 23 September 2010,
issued out a warrant of arrest against
Harare Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda after
he failed to appear in court.

Alert

Date: April 9, 2010
Person/institution: Mashundu
Netsianda, The Chronicle
Violation/ issue: Detained
Mashundu Netsianda a correspondent
with a regional daily publication The
Chronicle who is based in Beitbridge
was on 8 April 2010 arrested in the

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2010

southern border town over a story
involving a shooting incident in which a
Zimbabwean Man based in South Africa
shot at police while they tried to search
him..

Communiqué

Date: April 14, 2010
Person/ institution: ZBC
Violation/ issue: Victory
The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation
will on 1 May 2010 launch its second
television station Channel 2. State owned
newspaper, The Herald reported on 13
April 2010 that ZBC public relations
manager Sivukile Simango said Channel
2 would be available to viewers within an
80km radius of Harare.

Communiqué

Date: May 12, 2010
Person/ institution: MISA-Zimbabwe
Violation/ issue: Victory
MISA-Zimbabwe held belated World
Press Freedom Day (WPFD) celebrations
throughout the country on 8 May 2010
which were attended by members of the
Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on
Media, Information and Communication
Technology.
May 12, 2010: MISA-Zimbabwe on 10
May 2010 partnered with Artists for
Democracy in Zimbabwe Trust (ADZ
Trust), Savanna Trust and Media Alliance
of Zimbabwe (MAZ) in staging a concert
titled “Free our Media Now! The concert
was held at Machipisa shopping centre
in Highfield, Harare, was attended by
more than 1 300 people in line with
MISA-Zimbabwe’s 2010 Word Press

Freedom Day (WPFD) theme: Media
Freedom & Access to Information should
be Constitutional Rights.

Alert

Date: May 18, 2010
Person/ institution: Golden
Maunganidze, The Masvingo Mirror
Violation/ issue: Threatened
Golden Maunganidze the editor of The
Masvingo Mirror was on 10 May 2010
summoned to Harare Central Police
Station where he was interrogated for
six hours following publication of a story
that allegedly criminally defames Walter
Mzembi, the Minister of Tourism.

Communiqué

Date: May 18, 2010
Person/ institution: Zimbabwe NGO
Human Rights Forum
Violation/ issue: Other
The Zimbabwe NGO Human Rights Forum
on 14 May 2010, raised concern over the
continued human rights violations a
year into the formation of the country’s
inclusive government.

Alert

Date: June 23, 2010
Person/ institution: Simba Makoni,
MKD, ZBC
Violation/ issue: Censorship
Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn (MKD) party
leader Simba Makoni attacked the
Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation
(ZBC) for not airing an interview that
was recorded in 2009 with Super
Mandiwanzira under the statecontrolled broadcaster’s Talking Business

programme.

Alert

Date: June 28, 2010
Person/ institution: Nkabazwe
Community Radio
Violation/ issue: Banned
Gweru based Nkabazwe Community
Radio Initiative was on 24 June 2010
denied police clearance to hold a road
show for the third time in a space of
less than two months because it is not
licensed to broadcast.

Communiqué

Date: July 15, 2010
Person/ institution: Robert Mugabe
Violation/ issue: Legislation
President Mugabe announced that the
Media Practitioners’ Bill, which was on
the cards for more than a year following
recommendations of the All Media
Stakeholders Conference held in Kariba
in May 2009, was among the 23 Bills
constituting the legislative agenda of
the next parliamentary session.

Alert

Date: July 23, 2010
Person/ institution: SEC, Journalists
Violation/ issue: Other
Journalists and media organisations
have denounced the move by the
Securities Commission of Zimbabwe
(SEC) to register financial journalists as
security investor advisers in terms of the
Securities Act of 2004.
Communiqué
Date: August 4, 2010
Person/ institution: The Voice of

2010

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