The Government appointed Media and Information Commission has denied the weekly Tribune Newspaper a licence to resume publishing, a year after suspending its operations. In a further assault on the media, MIC Chairman Tafataona Mahoso says the company failed to meet their legal requirements since they did not have enough capital to resume publication. He also said the company intended to operate from the owners residential home, a move which needed council authorisation.

After using two weak excuses to deny the paper a licence Mahoso attempted to look sincere by offering to review the application if the city council authorised the use of the publishers residential property. Kindness Paradza, the owner of the paper, disputes the MIC's claims saying his company had met all the requirements for re-registration in terms of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

He told the Media Institute for Southern Africa that whether they had enough capital to continue publishing or not was immaterial since there are banks willing to grant loans for their project. Paradza has also denied they planned to operate from his home saying they had only informed the MIC the company's property was being kept at his house. The newspaper has a pending Supreme Court application challenging their suspension by the MIC.

Things took a down turn for the former Zanu PF legislator after he criticised AIPPA in parliament and a when he visited the United Kingdom he was accused of trying to resuscitate the banned Daily News through the back door. The Zimbabwe Union of Journalist, President Matthew Takaona meanwhile slammed the decision of the MIC as being negative. He says government should concentrate on managing the media and not crushing it. ZUJ will intervene in the matter at the request of the publisher and was giving the two parties time to resolve the dispute.