Mercedes Sayagues
It used to be that every morning when Zimbabwe’s only English-language daily, The Herald, was delivered to my home, I would read it at leisure over coffee, or take it to the office for a mid-morning perusal. A quick read was enough, since the government-owned Herald served a bland porridge of watered-down local news.
But now, first thing in the morning, I get my feet wet on the grass to fetch the paper from the gate. It makes for riveting reading.
The Herald is not carrying the complete transcript of Monica’s tapes, nor the secret diaries of Di and Dodi, nor Winnie’s true confessions as told to Cosmopolitan magazine.
It carries the voice of Robert Mugabe and his Praetorian Guard, aka the war veterans. Their hefty payments last December cemented an allegiance The Herald portrays.
March 7, front page, right column: With his lump payment of Z$50 000, a war vet bought 2 000 chicks for Z$8 000. They soon died of pneumonia. The veteran claims the company sold him sick birds. The company denies it. Hundreds of such cases go through the small claims court every day. Rationally, this news item belongs on the courts or consumer pages. Why is it on the front page?
Because on February 16, new editor Charles Chikerema took over. After 15 years at the helm, editor Tommy Sithole was punished for an editorial mildly critical of the government during January’s food riots. For that, he was promoted to a non-job as public relations manager.
Aboard came Chikerema, Mugabe’s faithful relative, a self-declared, unapologetic Stalinist, and until now editor of The Sunday Mail, aka His Master’s Voice- an unapologetic Zanu-PF party paper.
The warning shot was fired, loud and clear, on March 5. The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace complained that The Herald, by publishing the threats of war veterans’ leader Chenjerai “Hitler” Hunzvi to attack whites during the national strike of March 3 to 4, had incited racial violence, contravening the law.
The paper published the commission’s letter, with this cryptic reply: “We propose to attend to you over this matter in due course. It’s not only you and those you stand for who should have rights. – Editor.”
On the following day, the paper ignored a fire, allegedly by arson, that gutted the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions offices in Bulawayo, although a Herald reporter attended the congress press conference about it.
Annoyed by this, and by earlier (inaccurate) reports that the national strike had been “a flop”, the congress called for a boycott of The Herald on Thursdays and Fridays. On these days, independent weeklies appear – The Financial Gazette and The Independent – and the Zanu-PF reform wing’s The Mirror.
The boycott turned into a personal war between The Herald and the congress, personified by its secretary general, Morgan Tsvangirai.
March 12, front page headline: “We still wonder what has happened to you, Morgan?” Text: “Why have you become the darling of the historical oppressors of our people both at home and abroad, Morgan? … What are you doing for them, Morgan?”
On Thursday and Friday, March 19 and 20, the independent weeklies led with the looming hike on fuel prices and the collapse of state fuel agency Noczim. The Herald ignored the matter. Its lead story on Thursday: “The price of bread won’t go up”.
Ever since the Zimbabwean dollar crashed in November, Noczim has been selling fuel more cheaply than it buys it. Fearing more unrest, the government will not allow Noczim to raise prices of fuel and downstream commodities. So Noczim is in the red. Fuel must go up. Tempers will go up. But you wouldn’t know from reading The Herald.
As a party organ, The Herald chronicles Zanu-PF deep internal divisions, castigating dissidence. MP Dzikamayi Mavhaire’s call to limit presidential terms to two years, and his subsequent two-year suspension from the party, were front-page news during several days in mid-March.
You learn as much from what is not said as from what is said. Deductions are made from reading between the lines. Several consecutive Zanu-PF meetings at high level? That must spell deep internal trouble.
Agit-prop in small doses is fun. Where else but in North Korea would you get such sycophantic coverage, with headlines like “President attacks dissenting voices. Rebellious members to be purged. Ndebele castigated.” (March 21)?
Granted it is not journalism, but balanced information is not the goal.
On his initial address to the staff, according to a staff member, Chikerema said: “I have been on a long political road since 1959. I am not the type of person who, upon seeing that the ship he is on board is sinking, jumps to another one. I will sink with the ship.”
Prophetic words these might turn out to be.