Zimbabwe

**Updates IFEX alerts of 23 and 15 March, 1 February, 28 and 7 January 2000, 4 October, 30 and 10 September, 19 July, 31 and 11 May, 25 March, 24, 12, 11, 10, 9 and 3 February, 29, 27, 25, 22, 21, 18, 15 and 13 January 1999; for recent threats against Choto see IFEX […]

The Commercial Farmers’ Union (CFU) has expressed concern over the alleged reluctance of the state owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) to air the CFU’s advertisements of a High Court ruling that compels war veterans to evacuate the private farms they have invaded since February 2000. David Hasluck, the CFU director, told MISA-Zimbabwe that ZBC refused […]

On 20 March 2000, the Supreme Court reserved judgement on the application by “Standard” journalists, editor Mark Chavunduka, and chief reporter Ray Choto, who are challenging Section 50 of the Law and Order Maintenance Act (LOMA). The full bench comprised of Chief Justice Anthony Gubbay and Justices Korsah, Mcnally, Muchechetere and Sandura heard defence lawyers […]

On 16 March 2000, President Robert Mugabe reportedly threatened to kill all of those who oppose his rule. According to the “Daily News” newspaper, Mugabe said, “Those who try to cause disunity among our people must watch out because death will befall them.” Mugabe allegedly included white Zimbabweans in his attack saying that they had […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On 14 March 2000, Trevor Ncube and Iden Wetherell, editor-in-chief and deputy director of the weekly “Independent” newspaper, respectively, made “warned and cautioned statements” to the police in presence of their attorney regarding an alleged contravention of the Censorship and Entertainment Control Act. The contravention was related to a Reuters photograph the paper […]

The two “Standard” newspaper journalists, Mark Chavunduka and Ray Choto, have been scheduled to appear before a full bench of judges of appeal on 20 March 2000, following their submission of two Supreme Court applications. In a constitutional test case, the lawyers for the two journalists will challenge the validity of Section 50 (2) of […]

On 8 March 2000, the Postal Telecommunications (PTC) Bill of 1999 was passed by parliament with allegedly little opportunity for public debate. According to the system administrator of the MANGO non-profit e-mail service, Jim Holland, the parliamentary decision went ahead without consultations from Internet Service Providers (ISPs). He alleged that the ISPs have a liaison […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On 8 March 2000, Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza of the High Court refused to confirm a provisional order which the court had granted the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) on 13 January. This order compelled the state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) to broadcast the NCA’s advertisements and programmes about the Constitutional Commission’s reforms. The NCA […]

**Updates IFEX alert of 6 March 2000** (MISA/IFEX) – The Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ) condemned Zimbabwe Newspapers Ltd. (Zimpapers) and the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) for what it alleged to be “the worst failings of the publicly funded media.” The MMPZ referred to ZBC’s censoring of the announcement made on 2 March 2000 […]

(MISA/IFEX) – The Postal and Telecommunications Bill of 1999 was referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee after going through the Committee stage on 2 March 2000. The bill seeks to establish a regulatory authority, to be named the Postal and Telecommunications Authority Board, which will regulate and licence postal and telecommunications service providers. The board […]

(MISA/IFEX) – On 2 March 2000, the state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) television station failed to report an announcement made by Minister of Home Affairs Dumiso Dabengwa. Dabengwa’s announcement ordered veterans of Zimbabwe’s independence war to evacuate the white-owned commercial farms they had illegally invaded “with immediate effect.” However, ZBC’s news bulletin did include an […]

On 28 February 2000, members of parliament (MPs) of the ruling ZANU-PF party launched a scathing attack on the main pro-government newspaper, “The Herald”, for covering up weaknesses in the government. The MPs, who expressed abhorrence about the official press cover-up of government activities, went on to demand the removal of the paper’s editor, Bornwell […]

On 11 February 2000, the Universal Merchant Bank (Unibank) attempted to prevent the distribution of the “Zimbabwe Independent” newspaper through an unsuccessful court injunction, the newspaper reported. Unibank lawyer Jonathan Samkange woke up High Court Justice Bartlett at around midnight (local time) to deal with an ex-parte application to prevent the distribution of the “Independent”. […]

The three staff members of the “Standard” newspaper who were arrested on 23 February 2000, appeared in the Harare Magistrate’s Court and were charged with criminal defamation. Andy Moyse, the former acting editor, reporter Chengetayi Zvauya and managing director Clive Wilson were remanded out of custody to 24 March by Provincial Magistrate Remigias Jemwa. They […]

On the morning of 23 February 2000, Andy Moyse,the acting editor of the “Standard”, reporter Chengetayi Zvauya and managing director Clive Wilson were arrested for criminal defamation over a story which appeared on 30 January. The story claimed that the government-sponsored draft constitution was printed in September 1999, long before the Constitutional Commission’s outreach programme […]

(MISA/IFEX) – Two “Standard” journalists, Mark Chavunduka and Ray Choto, have dismissed President Robert Mugabe’s version of the torture perpetrated against them by the military and other agents of the state as cheap politicking. On 31 January 2000, Chavunduka, a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in the United States, said that he never sustained injuries […]