Jonathan Moyo says Zimbabwe is not a banana republic

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

TAGS: PREL PHUM KPAO KMDR ZI

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

(34 VIEWS)