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Statement on the harassment of vendors, confiscation of newspapers by a Gokwe based soldier
Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe
May 23, 2012

The Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) notes with regret and strong concern the harassment of newspaper vendors and confiscation of newspapers by a member of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces in Gokwe on 22 May 2012.

VMCZ implores members of the security services to refrain from engaging in threatening behavior against the media as this infringes on the right of all Zimbabweans to freedom of expression, media freedom and the right to access information as entrenched in section 20 of our Constitution.

VMCZ calls upon government officials, security services personnel and members of the public to approach our Media Complaints Committee should they have feel that any print or electronic media house is reporting news in a manner they may deem to be inaccurate or unfair.

Background

The Newsday of 23 May 2012 reported that a soldier yesterday swooped on vendors selling copies of the Newsday and Daily News in Gokwe ordering them to stop selling the papers and to surrender the remaining copies to the police post at Gokwe town centre.

Nicolas Ncube, the Operations Manager for the Munn Marketing said the threats against the newspapers occurred last week when a soldier who claimed to have been sent by officials from the Newsday offices in Harare to confiscate all the newspapers proceeded to take away all the newspapers from the newspaper agents and tore one of them.

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