Victim/ Concerned Party

Violation/ Event/issue

Date

Status of matter

Voice of the People Radio (VOP) station board members, David Masunda, Nhlanhla Ngwenya, Lawrence Chibwe, Millie Phiri, Arnold Tsunga, Bella Matambanadzo and director John Masuku.

The seven are accused of operating a radio station without a licence in terms of the Broadcasting Services Act (BSA).

3 March 2006

Their application for refusal of remand arguing that the facts placed before the court did not constitute an offence was turned down by a Harare magistrate. The accused who are on bail, were remanded to 27 April.

Zimbabwe Independent.

George Charamba, the Secretary for Information and Publicity threatened to set the police on the privately owned weekly and institute legal action over a story linking him to Zanu PF’s succession infightings published on 10 March 2006.

13 March 2006

Vincent Kahiya, the editor of the Zimbabwe independent declined to comment saying the matter was subjudice.

Interception of Communications Bill 2006.

The government drafted the Bill to spy into telephone and e-mail messages.

The Bill seeks to empower the chief of defence intelligence, the director-general of the Central Intelligence Organisation, Commissioner of police and Commissioner-General of the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority to intercept telephonic, email and cellphone messages.

17 March 2006

The Bill is still to be gazetted.

Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe, publishers of the Daily News and Daily News on Sunday.

ANZ’s protracted legal battle to be licensed took a new twist with the Minister of Information and Publicity Dr Tichaona Jokonya expected to decide the publishing company’s fate. This came in the wake of High Court Judge Justice Rita Makarau’s order barring the government-controlled Media and Information Commission from presiding over its application to be licensed.

17 March 2006

The ANZ has since filed an application for a High Court order compelling the Minister to declare them dully licensed.

Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) amendment proposals.

Dr Tafataona Mahoso, chairman of the Media and Information Commission, told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Communications that the MIC had submitted proposals to amend AIPPA in order to regulate the entry of foreign publications into Zimbabwe.

21 March 2006

Mahoso told the Committee that distributors who import foreign periodicals should indicate where they are procuring such materials.

Dr Tafataona Mahoso, Chairman of the Media and Information Commission (MIC).

Dr Mahoso conceded before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Communications, on the need for the setting up of a self-regulatory media council as opposed to the present set up where he chairs the statutory MIC.

21 March 2006

Dr Mahoso is a vociferous critic of independent media councils.