Police raid The Zimbabwean newspaper distributor

By Tererai Karimakwenda
4 October 2006

In what observers have described as continued harassment of government critics, state agents this week raided the Harare office of the distributor of The Zimbabwean newspaper. The UK-based publisher of the paper Wilf Mbanga told us four detectives from the Law and Order section of the police visited the premises of the distributor asking questions about the paper and how it is brought into the country from South Africa. Mbanga said they also wanted to know whether duty had been paid. The detectives took away documents pertaining to this information. Mbanga stressed that his organisation has done nothing wrong and will not be intimidated by these tactics.

The government has intensified the campaign against its critics in recent months as civic, religious, political and student groups have united to pressure the government for a new constitution and free and fair elections. There have also been several demonstrations organized by some of the targeted organizations, including Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) whose offices were raided by police last week. There has also been the threat of mass protests as the economy continues to deteriorate.

A story in last week’s edition of The Zimbabwean seems to have been the focus of the police raid. Mbanga said although they did not specify which article they were concerned with, they asked many questions about last week’s front page story, headlined “ZNA top brass slam corrupt ZRP”. The piece exposed the tensions between the army and the police following the arrest of former army Colonel Muvhuti for alleged corruption at the Grain Marketing Board. Mbanga explained that they detailed the corruption and must have raised eyebrows among top chefs in the government. He said the intimidation only serves to expose the government further and strengthen his resolve to tell the truth.

State agents also descended on the offices of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions over the past week following protests organized by the umbrella labour group. Offices of the Combined Harare Residents Association were also raided following several protests by residents who dumped raw sewage at their local district offices in Budiriro and other high density suburbs of Harare. The connection between active criticism of the government and police harassment has become glaringly obvious.