/ 3 May 2000

SA JOURNO RETURNS HOME

ZIMBABWEAN officials have let South African photo-journalist Obed Zilwa, held in connection with a bomb blast at a newspaper’s offices, return home, saying they have no plans to prosecute him. Zilwa, a photographer for the Associated Press agency, was arrested by police last week on suspicion of taking part in the bomb attack at the Daily News offices. Authorities officially released Zilwa on Tuesday, and returned his passport and air ticket which they had confiscated. Zilwa immediately headed for the airport to leave the country for South Africa. Police arrested Zilwa on April 26 as he was about to board a plane for South Africa at the conclusion of his assignment. Zilwa was one of the first journalists to get to the scene of the blast, which did not injure anyone. He spent three nights in detention during which he was neither charged nor brought before a court.