Back to Index

Zimbabwe: Media Freedoms pre-requisite for free elections
Media Institute of southern Africa (MISA)
August 10, 2004

http://www.misa.org/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?category=1&id=1092158605

Download this report
- Word 97  version (176KB)
- Acrobat PDF version (130KB)
If you do not have the free Acrobat reader on your computer, download it from the Adobe website by clicking here.

Windhoek – Given the current media environment in Zimbabwe, free and fair elections in March 2005 are highly unlikely, a fact finding mission to Zimbabwe said in a report released by the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) on Wednesday, August 4, 2004.

During the week starting June 21, 2004, MISA sent a fact finding mission to Zimbabwe to look into the state of the media in the run up to the Parliamentary elections planned for March 2005. The members of this mission were Ms Pamela Dube, Editor of Mokgosi Newspaper in Botswana, Mr Fernando Gonçalves, Editor of Savana Newspaper in Mozambique and Zambian Media Law expert Patrick Matibini.

In the 22-page report presented to a full house of South African and foreign print and electronic media in Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 4, Mr Gonçalves added another precondition to the 5-points made recently; The guarantee for access to all parties to the public media. This was after he had been told by interviewees that "state media hardly makes mention of any activities carried out by the opposition, and when it does, it is invariably in derogatory terms, projecting opposition leaders and their supporters as unpatriotic, sell outs, subversive elements seeking to overthrow the Government and instigators of violence. The State media was also said to be used to propagate hate messages against minorities and incite hatred against a selected group of inconvenient individuals."

"Violence and intimidation is extensive to journalists and lawyers. Independent journalists are not allowed to cover certain events, while lawyers find it increasingly difficult to access their clients who would have been arrested on politically trumped up charges. We were informed that lawyers no longer had easy access to the courts for the submission of papers on behalf of their clients, and often face harassment at such institutions," Mr Gonçalves reported.

Quoting the provisions of Article 21 of the Zimbabwean Constitution which guarantees freedom of expression, Ms Dube noted that "the introduction of legislations such as the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), and the Public Order and Security Act (POSA), has effectively closed the media space in Zimbabwe."

"Professional Journalism has been criminalized. The Mission heard disheartening stories of journalists who "dare criticize" the government and/or the Minister of Information, whose applications to operate have been turned down, and can therefore not find employment even within the limited or non-existent space of independent media. This act has also ensured that professionalism is sacrificed, especially in the public media, where journalists are forced – first by dictates of the Ministry, and second by the need to survive, to toe the political line," reported Ms Dube.

The Mission report also makes reference to the report of the Zimbabwe Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Communications which, regarding fair and balanced coverage, reported that "it is submitted that the way ZBH (Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings) cover events, especially political ones, left a lot to be desired". The report further states that, as prescribed by law, in the coverage of the elections, the public broadcaster shall give reasonable and equal opportunities to all political parties contesting the elections. "The situation prevailing has shown that ZBH is not complying with this requirement."

At the launch of the Mission report MISA renewed its call on the Government of Zimbabwe to respect the country’s constitution with regards to freedom of expression and to recommit itself to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, especially article 9, which Zimbabwe ratified on May 5, 1986.

MISA urged the African Union to take urgent measures to look into the worsening situation regarding human rights as reported in the African Commission mission which visited Zimbabwe in 2002 and whose report was submitted to the African Union in July 2004.

Furthermore, MISA called on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of states and government summit meeting due to take place in Mauritius this week, to demand that the Zimbabwe government take immediate measures to comply with the SADC Parliamentary Forum’s Norms and Standards for Elections in the SADC Region and to ensure that all laws that impinge on the free flow of information and access to information for the citizens of Zimbabwe are repealed.

"The Zimbabwean government must release its stranglehold on the electronic media and allow the operation of independent media including the recently closed newspapers. There cannot be free and fair elections without a free media and freedom of expression and measures to correct the prevailing situation in Zimbabwe need to be taken now in preparation for the planned March 2005 Parliamentary Elections", MISA Regional Director Luckson Chipare told the symposium.

For further information, please contact:
Zoé Titus: Media Freedom Monitoring Programme Manager, MISA
Kaitira E Kandjii: Freedom of Expression Programme Manager, MISA
Luckson A Chipare: Regional Director, MISA Windhoek, Namibia: +264 61 232975 / 248015

Visit the MISA -Zimbabwe fact sheet

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP