Zanu PF’s secret newspapers sprout amid private press closures

By Lance Guma
15 May 2006

Zimbabwe’s Information Minister Bright Matonga told journalists gathered in Bulawayo that there is nothing wrong with the internationally condemned Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). Behind the government spin however are startling revelations that ruling party officials are being given licences to publish local newspapers in their constituencies. This is happening after privately owned newspapers like The Daily News, Daily News on Sunday, Weekly Tribune, and Weekly Times were closed over spurious allegations cooked up by the Media and Information Commission.

A journalist based in the Midlands disclosed to Newsreel the results of an investigation they have carried out for months following several tip offs. He says several ruling party officials now own newspapers in cities and towns across Zimbabwe. Rural Housing Minister Emerson Mnangagwa is alleged to be behind a Kwekwe based paper called Network Guardian. A journalist who writes under the name Nyarota is said to be the front for the paper. In Gweru the losing Zanu PF parliamentary candidate and businessman Enos Size has just launched his own paper called New Day. He is said to be gunning for the city’s mayorship and wants to use the paper as a campaign platform. New Day has published one issue so far and is allegedly using ZBC journalist Moses Gumbo as a front.

Size lost to the incumbent MP for Gweru Timothy Mukahlera in the March 2005 parliamentary poll. ‘It seems quite easy for these Zanu PF guys to start up their papers while those outside the system get theirs shut,’ our source said. He was quick to praise people in the various communities for having a brilliant communication network and that most people knew who owned a particular paper. ‘These new papers always seem to attract a lot of adverts from Zanu PF linked companies and in the end its so easy to tell who is who.’ The only worrying thing according to our source is that several other businesses are being threatened into placing adverts with these papers. Mnangagwa’s Network Guardian being a case in point.