Zimbabwe

in the edition of the newspaper on
10 January 2010 under the headline:
Mnangagwa plots fight back: talk of new
splinter group.

Alert

Date: February 23, 2010
Person/ institution: Robert Mugabe,
ZMC
Violation/ issue: Legislation
President Robert Mugabe on 11 February
2010 gazetted the establishment of
the long awaited Zimbabwe Media
Commission (ZMC) amid expectations
that the Commission will immediately
call for applications for licenses for
new and old players in the print media.
May 24, 2010: The Zimbabwe Media
commission (ZMC) was set to issue
licenses by 26 May 2010. According to
The Financial Gazette, sources within
the Government of National Unity allege
that the ZMC scheduled crucial board
meetings to go through applications and
issue licenses on 24-26 May 2010. The
announcement of successful applicants
was to be made on the last day of the
meetings, the sources said.
March 25, 2010: Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai on 19 March 2010 urged the
newly constituted statutory Zimbabwe
Media Commission (ZMC) to speedily
register new media houses. In a meeting
with members of the Commission,
Prime Minister Tsvangirai said the ZMC
should rapidly implement its mandate in
terms of the Global Political Agreement
(GPA) and the enabling Constitutional
Amendment No 19.
May 18, 2010: The Zimbabwe Media

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2010

Commission (ZMC) allegedly postponed
to the end of May 2010 a crucial
workshop to expedite the licensing of
new newspapers owing to financial
problems and reports on allegations of
disagreements among commissioners on
resource persons to the workshop.

Communiqué

Date: October 24, 2010
Person/ institution: MISA-Zimbabwe,
Econet
Violation/ issue: Victory
MISA-Zimbabwe
welcomes
the
announcement by Zimbabwe’s largest
mobile phone services provider Econet
Wireless of its advanced plans to link
the country with the rest of the world
through a fiber optic cable through the
Zambian capital of Lusaka.

Alert

Date: February 24, 2010
Person/ institution: Andrison
Manyere, Zanu PF
Violation/ issue: Detained
Freelance photojournalist Andrison
Manyere was detained and questioned
at Zanu PF’s provincial offices in Harare
at the start of a march by the party’s
supporters against targeted sanctions
imposed by the West on senior Zanu PF
officials.

Alert

Date: March 2, 2010
Person/ institution: Andrison
Manyere
Violation/ issue: Detained
Freelance photojournalist Andrison

Manyere was on 1 March 2010 arrested
at the Harare Magistrates Courts while
filming the arrival of accused persons
charged with attempting to overthrow
the government of Zimbabwe.
March 2, 2010: Freelance photojournalist
Andrison Manyere was been released
from police custody after paying US$20
admission of guilt fine for disorderly
conduct in a public place.

Alert

Date: March 25, 2010
Person/ institution: Nunurai Jena,
Security Officials
Violation/ issue: Detained
Freelance journalist Nunurai Jena was
on 21 March 2010 detained by security
officials at Beitbridge Border Post on
his way home from South Africa. Jena
told MISA-Zimbabwe that the incident
happened after the security officials
discovered that he had tape-recorded
Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA)
officials as they searched and questioned
passengers that were travelling with him
on a Harare-bound bus.

Alert

Date: March 30, 2010
Person/ institution: Webster Shamu
Violation/ issue: Victory
Journalists should not be harassed
or arrested while conducting their
lawful professional duties, the Minister
of Media, Information and Publicity
Webster Shamu said in Harare on 28
March 2010. The minister made the rare
remarks on the harassment, arrests and
detention of journalists when addressing

delegates at the Federation of African
Journalists conference in Harare.

Alert

Date: March 31, 2010
Person/ institution: Stanley Gama,
Feluna Nleya, Jennifer Dube, Ignatius
Chombo, Phillip Chiyangwa, The
Sunday Times
Violation/ issue: Threatened
Freelance journalist Stanley Gama was
on 30 March 2010 summoned to Harare
Central Police Station where he was
questioned in connection with an article
that appeared in the Zimbabwean edition
of The Sunday Times published in South
Africa. The story in question exposed
alleged irregularities and corruption
in the acquisition of land by Local
Government and Urban Development
Minister Ignatius Chombo and Harare
businessperson Phillip Chiyangwa.
April 7, 2010: Feluna Nleya and Jennifer
Dube reporters with the privately owned
Standard weekly were on 31 April 2010
questioned by police from the Law and
Order Section for exposing an alleged
massive land scandal involving the
Minister of Local Government Ignatius
Chombo and businessperson Philip
Chiyangwa.
27 April 2010: Four journalists with
the weekly Standard newspaper were
summoned to appear in court on 6
May 2010 as state witnesses in the
criminal defamation case against Harare
Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda and eight
councillors on allegations of defaming
businessman Philip Chiyangwa.
April 28, 2010: Freelance journalist

2010

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