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The Zimbabwean Online
Wilf Mbanga, The Zimbabwean Limited
March 18, 2005

The Zimbabwean, the only newspaper available to Zimbabweans internationally, goes online on Monday at www.thezimbabwean.co.uk.

The publication, which was launched on February 11 with simultaneous weekly editions in the UK and South Africa, has been hailed as a major step in bridging the information gap between millions of Zimbabweans in the diaspora and their troubled homeland. It is also a vital source of independent and accurate information to Zimbabweans at home who have been snapping up the 10 000 copies shipped in weekly from Johannesburg in a matter of hours.

"The website is very user friendly. We have purposely kept it simple, quick to download and easy to access - specially for people in Zimbabwe where there is limited bandwidth. We are grateful to the Guardian Foundation, Guardian Unlimited and Kitsite for technical assistance and the design," said the publisher Wilf Mbanga.

The entire newspaper will be available on the website free of charge. "We are indebted to the many people around the world who have already subscribed to the physical newspaper," said Mbanga. "The online version is intended to be a complementary information source and will add value to the print version."

Since its inception The Zimbabwean has attracted much opprobrium from the authorities in Harare. "All we want to do is inform people about what's going on so that they, in turn, can make informed choices," said Mbanga. "We are merely asserting the right of all Zimbabweans to freedom of expression and access to information."

The tabloid weekly contains news from Zimbabwe as well as life in exile. The content includes politics, art and culture, business, sports, gender, human rights and social issues, news backgrounders and analysis. Letters to the editor and classified advertisements are key features.

"The Zimbabwean is an authoritative and accurate newspaper of record and a reliable source of information for all those individuals, agencies and governments with an interest in Zimbabwe. A news blackout is dangerous for any society. The forthcoming general election scheduled for March adds urgency. Our coverage is accurate, fair and balanced. We endeavour to give all viewpoints, and everyone - including the government of Zimbabwe - has the right of reply," said Mbanga.

Tel/Fax: 02380 879675
mobile Wilf: 07963963547
General:  07714736382 
P O Box 248, Hythe, SO45 4WX, UK
mbanga@thezimbabwean.co.uk
www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

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