THE Guardian‘s correspondent in Zimbabwe, Andrew Meldrum, was arrested in Harare on Wednesday for writing a story that allegedly breached the government’s punitive media laws.
He has been charged with publishing false information and is being held at the capital’s central police station.
Meldrum, an American citizen who has worked in the country since 1980, was detained for his account of a supporter of Zimbabwe’s opposition party who had, reportedly, been beheaded in front of her children by followers of President Robert Mugabe.
Two journalists from the independent Daily News, Lloyd Mudiwa and Collin Chiwanza, were detained on Tuesday for publishing the same story and were subsequently charged with publishing a falsehood.
The story that led to Meldrum’s arrest was published last week. It reported claims in The Daily News that Brandina Tadyanemhandu (53), a mother of eight, had been decapitated by supporters of the ruling party near Karoi, 192km north-west of Harare.
The account was partially based on the husband’s report of the incident. Doubts have since been raised about his credibility.
The opposition Movement for Democratic Change said it might have been tricked into paying him compensation to cover burial expenses. Other government critics say the story might have been concocted to embarrass the press. The MDC and The Daily News are investigating.
Meldrum is being held in the same cell as the two Daily News journalists. Despite the fact that Wednesday was a public holiday, a high court judge insisted on hearing the case. No police or prosecutors attended the first hearing; a second was scheduled for later in the evening.
Editor of The Guardian Alan Rusbridger said: ”It is outrageous that Meldrum should be the subject of criminal charges for doing the job of a reporter and we call on the Zimbabwean government to release him immediately.”
Meanwhile, Mthulisi Mathuthu reports from Harare, Zimbabwean workers celebrated May Day amid mounting alarm over the escalation in basic commodity prices, fears of further job losses and the decline of the trade union movement.
This week the Ministry of Industry and International Trade announced further increases of between 70% and 100% in the retail, producer and wholesale prices for cooking oil, milk, bread, cement, margarine and washing powder, among other goods.
Commuter Omnibuses also hiked fares by 20% to 25%, while National Breweries announced an 11% increase in the price of beer.
This is the second round of reviews since the introduction of price controls on basic commodities in mid-2001.
While the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries welcomed the move, trade unions and the opposition were quick to blast Mugabe’s government for having duped the electorate.
Labour leaders noted the stagnation of trade unions in the past five years owing to company closures and worker disillusionment.