Media harassment continues

By Lance Guma
23 January 2006

The harassment of journalists in Zimbabwe continues unabated with reports that a journalist was arrested last week before being released Saturday, while several directors of Voice of the People had their houses raided by police. On Wednesday police in Mutare arrested journalist Sidney Saize on allegations of working without accreditation and filing a ‘false’ story alleging militia youth were beating up teachers in the province. His release followed intervention by his lawyer, Innocent Gonese, who filed an urgent application with the Mutare Magistrates Court.

On Saturday police from the Law and Order section visited the home of Isabella Matambanadzo, a programme manager with a non-governmental organisation based in South Africa. They wanted to arrest her as one of the trustees of Voice of the People (VOP) a radio station government shut down last year. Two police officers and one soldier also visited the home of human rights lawyer Arnold Tsunga in Mutare. After being informed that Tsunga was not there, the police then requested that his workers accompany them to the station. They were only released following the intervention of lawyers and all this without any charges being laid on them.

Police then switched their attention to Tsunga’s Harare home whereupon, not finding him, they arrested Anesu Kamba a driver for the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights group and Charles Nyamufukudzwa, a caretaker. Both are being accused of obstructing investigations after saying they did not know where Tsunga was. The police are reported to have searched the house and left with a portrait of Tsunga, which they removed without any explanation. Nhlanhla Ngwenya another trustee with VOP also had police officers visiting his house and threatening to take his property as ransom.

Police are said to be gunning for the entire VOP board, which includes Arnold Tsunga, Lawrence Chibwe (lawyer), Isabella Matambanadzo, David Masunda and Matthew Takaona (President of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists). VOP used to broadcast programming to Zimbabwe via a Radio Netherlands transmitter in Madagascar but police shut it down last year alleging it did not have a licence to operate under current media legislation. The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) has been internationally condemned as a repressive piece of legislation that government is relying on it to suppress alternative voices.