|
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
|
