Daily News denied licence

By Lance Guma
19 July 2005

The government appointed Media and Information Commission, has once again denied the Daily News an operating licence. Hot on the heels of denying the weekly Tribune newspaper a licence last week, few expected the commission led by Zanu PF sympathizer, Tafataona Mahoso, to do any different. The commission ruled that Associated Newspapers Group deliberately contravened some sections of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

They have accused the paper of publishing without a registration certificate, using unaccredited journalists and not depositing copies of its newspaper with them. The Chief Executive of the ANZ, Sam Sipepa Nkomo, says they are surprised by the decision because the commission completely ignored the merits of their application and instead concentrated on alleged violations of AIPPA. The hearing on the 5th of May this year had resolved those issues and Mahoso's group was supposed to look at the application itself.

Instead the MIC deliberately responded to the 2003 ANZ application so as to use issues already resolved to deny them a licence. Nkomo said they would challenge the decision in the courts once more and this apparently is government's intention since it would take close to 'forever' for the case to be heard. Government is not too eager to have an independent daily newspaper, given the collapsing economy and rampant human rights abuses taking place. The state owned Herald celebrated the denial by running a front page story, seeking to justify the MIC's decision.

Four newspapers have so far been shut down under government's sustained assault on the private media. Mugabe's regime has also invested heavily in Chinese jamming equipment to block Shortwave transmissions from SW Radio Africa.