(MISA/IFEX) – On 22 June 1998, the government of Tanzania banned two more privately owned Kiswahili tabloids. A statement issued by the Tanzania Information Services in Dodoma said the newspapers “Tingisha” and “Watu” had been banned for violating the Newspaper Act No. 3 of 1976 and the Newspaper Regulations of 1977. The statement said, “the […]
(MISA/IFEX) – On 22 June 1998, the government of Tanzania banned two more
privately owned Kiswahili tabloids. A statement issued by the Tanzania
Information Services in Dodoma said the newspapers “Tingisha” and “Watu” had
been banned for violating the Newspaper Act No. 3 of 1976 and the Newspaper
Regulations of 1977. The statement said, “the government decision also
considered some important event that was featured in these newspapers
shortly after the prohibition on the publication, production and
distribution of `Kasheshe’, `Chombeza’ and `Arusha Leo’ on June 8, 1998”
(see also Background, below).
**Updates IFEX alerts dated 15, 12, and 9 June 1998**
The statement said the ban on “Tingisha” was prompted by the overwhelming
publicity the newspaper received on the privately owned Radio One and ITV.
The statement pointed out that, on 11 June, the two stations aired
advertisements for the launching of the paper the following day, saying that
the content in the newspaper was exactly what used to be contained in
“Kasheshe”.
“Tingisha” had published on its front page a cartoon captioned, “My
condition is just as you can see it, to continue with [the] good work that I
have always been doing.” The slogan was apparently aimed at alerting readers
to the fact that the contents of “Kasheshe”, which had been banned a few
days earlier, had now been carried forward to “Tingisha”.
In addition to publishing and circulating “Tingisha”, the government
statement said the publishers had committed two further serious mistakes:
they changed the editorial policy without informing the Registrar of
Newspapers and they failed to publish an imprint. The statement said that,
by doing so, “Tingisha”, which was registered as an ordinary newspaper of
news and features, violated Section 17(1) of the 1977 Newspaper Regulations,
and by not publishing the imprint, it violated Section 25(2) of the
Newspaper Act No. 3 of 1976.
According to Section 17(1) of the Newspaper Regulations 1977,
No registered newspaper shall:- (a) change-
(i) its name or location or postal address;
(ii) any provision of its rules or constitution;
(iii) any of its objects;
Section 15 (1) of this same act says:
The Minister may by a notice in the Gazette, cancel the registration of any
newspaper registered under these Regulation if he is satisfied that the
newspaper:-
(iii) has altered its objects or pursues objects other than the declared
objects.
Concerning “Watu”, the government statement said the newspaper, which had
ceased appearing a long time ago, was being published again after
“Chombeza”, “Arusha Leo” and “Kasheshe” were banned for publishing
pornographic cartoons. The statement said “Watu” was banned for changing its
editorial policy from an ordinary newspaper to publishing pornographic
cartoons without informing the Registrar of Newspapers.
“Tingisha” and “Kasheshe” are owned by The Guardian Limited while “Watu”,
“Chombeza” and “Arusha Leo” are published Kunta Enterprises International
(TZ) Limited.
Background Information
On 6 June, Minister of Information Kingunge Ngombare Mwiru, in individual
letters to “Kasheshe”, “Chombeza” and “Arusha Leo”, informed them that they
had been banned with effect from 8 June because of their “persistent
featuring of pornographic cartoons and unethical articles”. His action was
sanctioned by Section 25(1) of the Newspaper Act, No. 3 of 1976, which
states: “Where the Minister is of the opinion that it is in the public
interest or in the interest of peace and good order so to do, he may, by
order in the Gazette, direct that the newspaper named in the order shall
cease publication as from the date…specified in the order” (see IFEX
alerts).
