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Government media's failure to clearly report on the ACHPR's resolutions
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ)
Weekly Media Update 2006-1
Monday January 2^nd 2006- Sunday January 8^th 2006

IT took some time for news of the resolutions of the African Commission for Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR), adopted in early December and condemning Zimbabwe’s human rights record, to reach the local media.

The ACHPR is obliged to inform governments of their resolutions before making them public, but SW Radio Africa (30/12) was first to report the story domestically, although it took several more days for the rest of the local media to wake up to the news.

However, it was only the private media that reported on the resolutions. The government Press (6/1) cursorily referred to the matter in the context of government feigning ignorance of the resolutions. But even then, government’s official response was buried at the end of an unsubstantiated report claiming that UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan’s "long awaited visit to Zimbabwe" was scheduled for March.

ZBH completely ignored the matter.

The government media’s failure to clearly report the ACHPR’s censure of Harare dovetailed with their attempts during the holidays to stifle reports that exposed government’s undemocratic practices. For example, these media ignored the raid and five-day detention of three staffers working for the private radio station, Voice of the People (VoP).

The Herald (24/12) only reported the story following a court appearance by the station director, John Masuku, facing charges under Section 27 of the repressive Broadcasting Services Act, which prohibits broadcasting without a licence.

It was only the niche market private radio stations (16-23/12) and The Standard (18 & 24/12) that gave detailed and analytical accounts of the story.

In other developments over the Christmas holiday, the government media (The Herald and Chronicle, 30/12) passively reported government’s suspension of the MDC Mayor for Chitungwiza, Misheck Shoko, over allegations of mismanagement without questioning whether this measure constituted part of a systematic campaign by government to hound all democratically elected MDC officials out of office.

Neither did The Herald (21/12) view the announcement by Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo that there would be no council elections in Harare until 2007 as a violation of the citizenry’s right to participate in the governance of the city by choosing leaders of their choice. Instead, it merely quoted Chombo justifying the move saying it would give the authorities time to establish "new city limits and ward boundaries" as the city of Harare has "no boundaries". The private radio stations (21/12) condemned the move as undemocratic.

Apart from failing to scrutinise government’s repressive behaviour, the official media also tried to misinform their audiences on Zimbabwe’s relations with the United Nations, particularly the debate over houses the world body intended to build for the victims of Murambatsvina.

The Herald and Chronicle (21/12), for example, unquestioningly quoted Chombo giving the impression that the UN had unilaterally designed the one-roomed model house without consulting government. The papers quoted the minister describing the houses as "sub-standard and a mockery to Africans", adding that the UN had not followed government’s "specifications" and "set guidelines".

However, The Financial Gazette (22/12), SW Radio Africa (22/12), the Zimbabwe Independent (23/12) and Studio 7 (28/12) quoted UN representative in Zimbabwe, Augustinho Zacarias, revealing that government was closely involved in the design of the houses.

The Gazette quoted Zacarias saying he was "somewhat puzzled" by government’s stance as the structure "was not a UN model house" but "designed jointly by both UN technicians and technicians appointed by the Minister of Local Government".

As such, added Zacarias, "it should more correctly have been called a government of Zimbabwe-UN house".

The official media conveniently ignored this.

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