Back to Index

Botswana news crew remanded to July
MISA-Zimbabwe
May 23, 2006

Beauty Mokoba and Keketso Seofela, journalists with Botswana Television, charged with violating the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), were on 23 May 2006 further remanded to 26 July 2006 when they appeared before a Plumtree magistrate.

The two journalists who are on bail were arrested on 30 April 2006 and detained for two days in Zimbabwe’s south-western border town of Plumtree and charged under AIPPA for practicing journalism without accreditation and violating the country’s immigration laws.

Reporter Mokoba and cameraman Seofela, were only able to return to Botswana on 2 May 2006 following their release and subsequent appearance before a Plumtree magistrate. They were each granted $4 million bail.

The pair was arrested in Plumtree while allegedly covering the outbreak of a foot-and-mouth disease and the possible cross-border cattle rustling between the two countries as possible causes for the spread of the epidemic.

The journalists risk spending two years in jail if convicted under AIPPA for practicing journalism in Zimbabwe without being accredited by the statutory government-controlled Media and Information Commission.

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