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No improvement of government media reportage on the talks
Extracted from Media Update 26/2008
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ)
September 07, 2008

There was no improvement in the government media's coverage of the prolonged SADC-facilitated power-sharing talks between ZANU PF and the two MDC formations aimed at finding a lasting solution to Zimbabwe's eight-year-old political crisis.

The talks, supervised by South African President Thabo Mbeki, reportedly have been deadlocked on the allocation of executive power between President Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai in a proposed national unity government.

Rather than providing incisive information on the fate of the dialogue, including Mbeki's planned visit to Harare to revive the talks, the official media continued to dishonestly blame Tsvangirai for the impasse while suffocating growing regional and international disquiet over President Mugabe's role in the stalemate.

Instead, they narrowly cited Mugabe's invitation to Swaziland by King Mswati III to celebrate his 40th birthday and the kingdom's 40 years of independence from British rule as evidence of the Zimbabwean leader's legitimacy and popularity despite efforts by some countries to isolate him.

These efforts to reinforce Mugabe's legitimacy as President was reflected in all 50 stories the official media featured on the topic.

The Herald and Chronicle (4/9), for example, failed to critically assess the implications of Mugabe's threats that he would form a new government without the MDC if its leader refused to sign the agreement. They passively quoted him telling journalists in Zambia after the funeral of the late Zambian President, Levy Mwanawasa, that "if . . . Tsvangirai does not sign" the deal "today" he would "proceed to appoint a Cabinet as the country cannot be frozen forever". No attempt was made to question the basis on which he intended to do this apart from reporting him saying: "We are a government, and we are a government that is empowered by elections. So we should form a Cabinet . . . " The two papers made no attempt to reconcile this claim to legitimacy with the universally condemned June 27th presidential election upon which he bases his claim.

Similarly, Radio Zimbabwe (7/9, 6am) & Spot FM (7/9, 8am) passively quoted Deputy Youth Minister Saviour Kasukuwere justifying Mugabe's intention to set up a government without Tsvangirai on the basis of "facilitating the continuation of development programmes".

There was little useful information in these media about the state of the negotiations, apart from The Herald and Chronicle (4/9) speculating that Mbeki was expected in Zimbabwe the following day to try "for the last time" to persuade Tsvangirai to sign the agreement. The next day, the papers simply announced that Mbeki had postponed his visit to next week without providing reasons.

The rest of the official media's stories on the matter either maliciously accused the MDC (Tsvangirai formation) of not having the national interest at heart for refusing to sign the document, or reinforced Mugabe's allegations that the West was behind Tsvangirai's reluctance to sign without questioning the truth of such claims.

The Herald (1/9), for example, accused the party of "living true to its chameleon-like politics", while ZTV (4/9, 7am) described Tsvangirai as a British puppet who could not sign the deal without Britain's approval. The next day, the Chronicle (5/9) claimed that Tsvangirai sought to "concentrate all executive power on himself" without seeking his comment. At the weekend The Sunday Mail (7/9) accused Tsvangirai of "holding the talks hostage" and "throwing spanners at every turn" without clearly explaining how he was doing this.

This contrasted sharply with the favourable coverage the official media accorded to Mugabe and ZANU PF, exonerating him from any role in the stalemate and narrowly reporting him as still commanding unwavering support from the region despite Western criticism. The Sunday Mail, for example, editorialized its news story entitled: Khama eats humble pie, by reporting Mugabe as having received "a hero's welcome from a packed Somhlolo Stadium" in Swaziland "with people waving and cheering at the Zimbabwean leader". It claimed that this left Botswana President Ian Khama, who has refused to recognise the results of the June presidential election run-off, "with no option but to shake the veteran leader's hands".

In contrast, the private papers provided more informed coverage of the week's political developments in 75 reports.

They reported relations between ZANU PF and the MDC as worsening due to Mugabe's intransigence and refusal to cede more powers to Tsvangirai, including his widely criticized threats to exclude the opposition from government. Apart from viewing such unilateral action as "catastrophic" to the country, the private media continued to highlight the reasons why the main MDC formation was reluctant to sign the deal in its present state.

In addition, they reported mounting international pressure on Mugabe and the South African President to conclude the dialogue, taking into consideration the outcome of the March 29 elections, won by Tsvangirai.

For example, Studio 7 & SW Radio Africa (4/9) and the Zimbabwe Independent (5/9) reported the Tsvangirai-led MDC formation rejecting Mugabe's ultimatum to sign the agreement or risk being left out of his Cabinet. The paper reported the party saying the ultimatum was "ill-advised and unnecessary" adding that the demand exposed the ruling party's "contempt" for SADC and the AU, which are sponsoring the talks. The MDC warned that the threat would not only "sabotage" the negotiations, but provided "further evidence that Mugabe was negotiating in bad faith".

The private media also speculated on the reasons why Mbeki had failed to turn up in Harare during the week. The Independent, for example, claimed that the South African leader cancelled the trip after Tsvangirai indicated to him that he would not be available. It cited "informed sources" claiming that the opposition leader "did not want to attend what he thinks would be hopeless meetings on the talks".

In other stories, the private media reported growing international displeasure over the delayed conclusion of the dialogue, particularly Mugabe's refusal to cede significant powers to Tsvangirai. For example, Studio 7 & SW Radio Africa (2/9) and the Independent reported Tanzania, which is also the AU chair, saying it "preferred" an equitable power-sharing arrangement "to be arrived at immediately" in Zimbabwe. The Independent also reported Nigerian Foreign Minister Chief Ojo Maduekwe reiterating that Abuja did not recognise Mugabe as the legitimate President of Zimbabwe, while Studio 7 broadcast South Africa's powerful trade union federation, COSATU, warning that its members could boycott the handling of goods destined for Zimbabwe if the dialogue collapsed.

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