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Government's censure of Zvayi's deportation unsavory
Extracted from Media Update 2008/22
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ)
August 10, 2008

MMPZ notes with interest government's uncharacteristic defence of Press freedom following the recent deportation of Caesar Zvayi, a former political editor with the government-controlled daily, The Herald, by the Botswana authorities.

Both public and private media reports cited Information and Publicity Secretary George Charamba decrying the deportation of Zvayi, saying it was illegal and uncalled for.

Zvayi, who had become a media lecturer at the University of Botswana, was a leading propagandist for President Mugabe's ZANU PF government during his stay at The Herald and churned virulent hate campaign against government's opponents, especially the MDC.

He was recently added to the European Union blacklist for purveying hate speech. The Zimbabwe Times (14/8) cited an entry against his name on the EU sanctions list, which said the former Herald staffer "whipped up the terror campaign before and during (the June 27 presidential run-off) elections".

Media reports cited a deportation document allegedly signed by Botswana President, Ian Khama, describing the Zimbabwean journalist as an 'undesirable' and 'unacceptable' element in Botswana society.

However, it is Charamba's unusual swiftness in condemning Zvayi's deportation while turning a blind eye to similar attacks on journalists working in the country by the government he serves that undermines the sincerity of his concern over issues of media freedom.

Until then, the Zimbabwean government has been notorious for trampling on media freedoms, enacting hostile tough media laws such as the Access to Information and (Protection) of Privacy Act to stifle media development. This includes arrests, harassments and deportation of foreign journalists working in the country on spurious grounds.

This ultimate irony however, was Charamba's denunciation of local media watchdogs such as the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) and the local chapter of the Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA) for their apparent reticence over Zvayi's deportation.

For example, ZTV and Spot FM (11/8, 8pm) reported Charamba expressing "shock at the deafening silence by the journalist fraternity and the failure to support and defend their colleague in the difficult circumstances".

ZTV quoted him: "No one in the (media) industry, not even MISA, loud-mouthed MISA; not even the media council; not even ZUJ has opened its mouth in defence of this person (Zvayi)."

No comment was sought from these organisations.

But while Charamba pontificated about Zvayi on ZTV, describing him as a "fearless" and "true patriot" who "defended the interests of this country", he strangely showed no empathy for award winning photojournalist Tsvangirai Mukwazhi, who was recently forced to relocate to South Africa following systematic harassment by the police.

Reportedly, Mkwazhi finally decided to flee his home country after police seized his car while on an assignment and then raided his home, assaulted and arrested him.

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