Zimbabwe’s largest daily newspaper was closed down yesterday when President Robert Mugabe’s government refused to issue the licence needed to publish.
By shutting down the country’s only privately owned daily publication, the Mugabe regime has struck a blow at the country’s struggling free press, which is left with just a couple of independent weekly papers.
The Daily News has been shut for the past week and police seized the paper’s computers and other equipment in defiance of a high court order that the paper should be allowed to publish.
News editors and reporters had been trying desperately to print a paper by alternative means, but by denying the paper a licence the government yesterday finally and firmly closed every door. Under Zimbabwe’s severe press restrictions it would be illegal for any business to give assistance to an unregistered paper.
The paper’s closure will make it even more difficult for Mugabe supporters to argue that Zimbabwe should be readmitted to the Commonwealth. When Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth in March 2002 the Mugabe government was warned specifically to improve freedom of the press before the country could be readmitted.
”This is obviously a very big blow to democracy, freedom of expression and press freedom in our country,” said Trevor Ncube publisher of the Zimbabwe Independent, one of the remaining privately-owned weekly newspapers.
Ncube is also owner of the South African-based Mail&Guardian newspaper, the sister publication of this website.
”It shows the world, once again, that the regime of Robert Mugabe will stop at nothing to hold on to power, even when it is clear that it is politically bankrupt,” said Ncube.
The African Editors’ Forum on Saturday called the shutting down of the Daily News a ”regrettable and unfortunate occurrence that signals a hardening of attitude by the Zimbabwean government”.
The forum’s interim chairperson, Mathatha Tsedu said: ”The African Editors’ Forum, representing editors and senior editorial executives from more than 35 countries on the continent, condemns this high handed measure by the Zimbabwean government. The Daily News has been a thorn on the sides of the Zimbabwean government but that is no reason to stop it from publishing.
”We further call on all African governments who have committed themselves to free speech in terms of the African Union charter to voice their displeasure at the action taken by the Zimbabwean government. The efforts of so many African leaders and citizens all over the continent to change the image of this continent cannot be sabotaged by dictators intent on clinging to power.”
Tsedu said the African Editors’ Forum and the South African Editors’ Forum (Sanef) were requesting an urgent meeting with the South African department of foreign affairs to discuss the matter.
British Foreign Minister Jack Straw slammed the denial of a licence for the Daily News a ”flagrant disregard” for freedom of expression in the country.
”This decision by the government of Zimbabwe’s media commission to deny registration to the country’s only independent daily newspaper is another attempt to silence critical voices… We will continue to support all those in Zimbabwe working for a return to a democratically elected and accountable government which respects human rights, freedom of expression an the rule of law,” he said in a statement.
Mugabe was put under further pressure on Saturday with the death of Vice President Simon Muzenda. Muzenda (81) who had been in failing health for some time, was one of Zimbabwe’s two Vice Presidents. The government had recently denied that Muzenda was in a coma and in declining health.
One of Mugabe’s most trusted allies, Muzenda’s death highlights a dilemma for the President: that he is surrounded by an ageing leadership.
Muzenda was a long-time African Nationalist and a veteran of the war to end white minority Rhodesian rule. But yesterday Zimbabweans showed little sympathy at his death because of their antipathy to the Mugabe Government.
”Maybe we will get a public holiday because of his death,” said one Zimbabwean worker.
”In other times we would have had a braai ‘barbecue’ but now we can’t even do that because we can’t afford the meat. Without the Daily News we won’t get the truth about Muzenda’s death or anything else. We will just get propaganda from our own Pravda, the Herald.”
On Friday, Zimbabwe’s state media commission refused to licence the Daily News, effectively banning it from future publication, the state-run Herald newspaper reported on Saturday.
”The Media and Information Commission yesterday (Friday) unanimously agreed not to register the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ), the publishers of the Daily News as a mass media service,” the Herald said.
The Daily News had applied for registration earlier this week as required under tough new media laws. Last week Zimbabwe’s top court ruled the paper was operating illegally because it had not registered, and police shut down the paper. The newspaper has not appeared on the streets since.
Shortly after his re-election in March last year, Mugabe signed into law the controversial Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), which stipulates that all newspapers and journalists must be registered with the state. Critics condemned the act as an attempt to stifle freedom of expression.
The Herald said the Daily News had been denied a licence because it had applied eight-and-a-half months after the expiry of the government’s deadline in December last year.
It also said that the ANZ had not been supplying the commission with a free copy of the paper as required since December under the act.
Earlier this week more than 100 pro-democracy activists were arrested in central Harare for demonstrating against the paper’s shutdown.
Daily News readers and opposition supporters had hoped earlier this week that the paper would soon be available after High Court Judge Yunus Omerjee ruled that it could resume publishing.
Omerjee said the paper was no longer operating illegally under the new media laws because it had filed a speedy application for registration.
But those hopes were quickly dashed when the government’s top lawyer said it would be filing an appeal, and the Herald said the media and information commission was about to announce its decision on the registration of the paper.
In its leading opinion piece Saturday the Herald — the Daily News’s main rival — said the paper ”must not cry foul”.
”The ANZ can… not fool anyone by presenting itself as a victim — it is simply an outlaw and should be treated like one.”
In the four years it was published the Daily News became Zimbabwe’s largest circulation paper. It uncovered numerous corruption scandals and regularly exposed state violence and human rights abuses. The paper continued publishing despite two bombings, including one which destroyed its printing press.
Daily News editors and reporters have been jailed and beaten by Mugabe’s supporters. In one incident a rural school teacher found with a copy of the Daily News was beaten to death by Mugabe’s youth militia. – Sapa, AFP, AP, Guardian Unlimited Â