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New twist to Daily News legal battle
MISA-Zimbabwe
March 17, 2006

The Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe’s (ANZ) legal battle to be granted an operating licence has taken a new twist with the Minister of Information Dr Tichaona Jokonya now expected to decide the publishing company’s fate.

This comes in the wake of reports that the government-controlled Media and Information Commission (MIC) chairman Dr Tafataona Mahoso had admitted that a High Court ruling barred it from involvement in the ANZ case.

On 8 February 2006 High Court judge Justice Rita Makarau ruled that Mahoso was biased against ANZ, publishers of the banned Daily News and Daily News on Sunday.

Justice Makarau ruled that the MIC board’s impartiality was tainted by the proven bias of its chairman, barring all members from involvement.

The weekly Financial Gazette reported in its edition of 16 March 2006, that Mahoso had since conceded that the judgment barred them from determining the ANZ application. This shifts the resolution of the matter to Minister Jokonya.

The minister, as the appointing authority, can appoint a special board to determine the application or instruct the MIC secretariat to issue a certificate of registration.

The ANZ management has already written to the minister appealing for his intervention.

ANZ legal adviser Mordecai Mahlangu, however, expressed disappointment that the minister was still to respond to their letters of appeal written on 22 February and March 13 2006.

"We are distressed by this. We are all patriots and would like this matter resolved in the best interest of the country," said Mahlangu.

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