Information Minister Jonathan Moyo said Zimbabwe was not a banana republic wanting to please foreign journalists because it had its own impressive professional cadre of journalists who needed work.
He said this when his ministry refused to renew the work permit of an American citizen Griffin Shea, who was a senior reporter with the French news agency, Agence France Presse in Harare.
“Shea is an American and he can go and work there,” Moyo was quoted as saying.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 02HARARE2088, GOVERNMENT REFUSES TO RENEW AFP
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS HARARE 002088
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR AF/PD, AF/S, AF/RA
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER
LONDON FOR GURNEY
PARIS FOR NEARY
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER
E.O. 12958: N/A
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT REFUSES TO RENEW AFP
CORRESPONDENT’S CREDENTIAL
¶1. American citizen Griffin Shea, senior reporter
for the Agence France Presse (AFP) bureau in Harare,
is expected to leave Zimbabwe on Saturday, September
14, following the Government of Zimbabwe’s refusal to
renew his work permit. Shea, who has been working in
Zimbabwe since 2000, was ordered to leave the country
by the Ministry of Information at the expiry of his
contract this week. According to government-owned
media reports Information Minister Jonathan Moyo has
dismissed calls for the renewal of Shea’s work permit,
saying that no foreign journalists will be allowed to
hold a permanent work permit in Zimbabwe. “We are not
a banana republic wanting to please foreign
journalists. . . We are very proud that we are one of
the countries who have trained an impressive
professional cadre of journalists and they need work.
Shea is an American and he can go and work there,”
Moyo is quoted as saying.
SULLIVAN
(35 VIEWS)
