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State of the media in Southern Africa 2002
2002
agency. “We based our decision on
POSA but we had agreed that they
could hold their rally at their offices.
We intervened when their people went
around trying to provoke a situation.”
Lawrence Chibwe, the lawyer for
the three staffers from “The Daily
News”, said that his pleas to have the
three surrender to him so that a private
doctor could attend to them has
fallen on deaf ears. The police insisted
that a government doctor would attend
to them. “Munyuki, Mauluka and
Mukwecheni are a sorry sight. They
are actually in a state of shock. The
police refused to take them to hospital
despite my pleas,” said Chibwe.
Under the Public Order and Security
Act, the police can hold “prisoners”
for seven days without charge.
ALERT
DATE: 2002-07-03
PERSON(S): Chris Gande
VIOLATION(S): Expelled
Chris Gande, a reporter for “The
Daily News”, was thrown out of a
courtroom during court proceedings
by a prison official, “The Daily
News” reported on June 28, 2002.
Gande, who is based in the city of
Bulawayo, was covering court proceedings
in which two prison officials
were being charged with contempt of
court for defying court orders to release
two prisoners who had been granted
bail. However, a reporter from the government
controlled “Chronicle” was
allowed to cover the case.
“Mr. Gande, I have been ordered to
ask you to leave this court,” said the
official, without disclosing who had
given the order, “The Daily News”
reported.
236 So This Is Democracy?
MISA-Zimbabwe notes that no reasons
were given as to why the reporter
was ejected from the courtroom.
Courtrooms are accessible to members
of the public and journalists under
Zimbabwean law. Though guided by
dress codes and expected behaviour
standards, no one can be barred from
attending court proceedings.
A press gallery is available to journalists,
who are allowed to cover court
proceedings and make these deliberations
public. The prison official’s action
violates Gande’s rights as a journalist
and citizen of Zimbabwe.
Efforts by MISA-Zimbabwe to get
a comment from Zimbabwe Prisons
Service Public Relations Officer Frank
Meki were unsuccessful as he was said
to be out of the office.
ALERT
DATE: 2002-07-05
PERSON(S): Chris Gande
VIOLATION(S): Legislation
On July 4, 2002, Chris Gande, a reporter
for the “Daily News” in
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest
city, was charged under Section
80, subsection 1(b), of the Access to
Information and Protection of Privacy
Act, for allegedly “writing falsehoods”.
Gande is accused of writing a false
story in the June 9 edition of the “Daily
News”. In the story, Gande states that
Thandiwe Nkomo, the daughter of the
late Zimbabwean vice president
Joshua Nkomo, had told the newspaper
that the Nkomo family had not
been invited to a state gala that was
being held in Nkomo’s memory in the
eastern border town of Mutare. The
story also said that the late vice presi-