Newspaper mogul Trevor Ncube barred from leaving Zimbabwe

By Violet Gonda
08 December 2005

It has been an eventful week for the owner and publisher of the South African Mail and Guardian and Zimbabwe’s Standard and Independent newspapers, Trevor Ncube.

First, the Reserve Bank of Australia released a list of 127 people it's administering financial sanctions against, with Ncube's name on it. Then on Thursday, Ncube saw that his name was also on a list of the Zimbabwean government’s enemies of the state.  His passport was confiscated at Bulawayo airport.

Speaking on SW Radio Africa, Ncube who lives in South Africa said, “This has been an exciting week for me. I am barred from Australia and now I am barred from leaving Zimbabwe.”

On the issue of the Australian sanctions, he said he has been told by officials in Pretoria at the Australian High Commission that there was a mistake and that this situation will be reviewed by the Australian government. Commenting, Ncube said, “And I think President Robert Mugabe would be very disappointed to hear that  I am put as one of his friends.”

He is currently in Zimbabwe to attend his brother’s wedding  and intends to leave on Sunday. The publisher said he is already in consultation with his lawyers to exercise his constitutional rights to get his passport back saying it’s unlawful. Ncube confirmed recent reports that the government has a list of names of opposition officials, businessmen and journalists who are banned from travelling outside the country.

It’s reported that the list includes National Constitution Assembly Chairman Dr Lovemore Madhuku, Human Rights Lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa, Journalist Bassildon Peta and MDC politicians Paul Temba Nyathi and Grace Kwinjeh. They will be the first to face such an order as a result of an amendment made to the Zimbabwe constitution in September.

Ncube said people close to the immigration department told him they have a directive and a list, which contains between 62 and 64 names of Zimbabweans living abroad and  in Zimbabwe who are perceived to be critical of the government. He said, “The instruction is to seize the passports the moment the individual presents themselves to the immigration department at any port of entry or port of exit.”

In 2002 the Zimbabwean government released a sanctions list of people banned from the country. This list included Tony Blair and 7 journalists working at SW Radio Africa. Now the government has a new list of people who are banned from travelling outside the country.

We reported Wednesday that Dr Lovemore Madhuku had said this ban would be hopelessly unlawful saying even if the ban has been implemented this is not going to stop the work of the NCA. “Whatever they do it is not going to stop us short of obviously killing us. Of course those who remain will still fight for a new constitution.”

Grace Kwinjeh, who is the MDC representative in Brussels responded by saying, “It’s unfortunate, if the report is true because what Zimbabweans are looking for today is not increased repression from the ZANU PF regime. I think Zimbabweans are looking for solutions to the crisis that is in the country.”