Several journalists suspected to be Voice of America’s Studio 7 stringers were fired by the state media as well as by the private media which were reportedly under pressure from Information Minister Jonathan Moyo.
The Herald fired sports editor Robson Sharuko, and journalists Tendai Ndemera and Rex Mphisa. The Chronicle fired Sithandekile Mhlanga and the Financial Gazette Godfrey Maravanyika.
Maravanyika said the Department of Information and Publicity in the President’s office and Central Intelligence Organisation had a list of most of the stringers contributing to Studio 7 and were putting pressure on their employers to fire them.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 04HARARE302, INDEPENDENT MEDIA UNDER THREAT – ANZ HEARING
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201039Z Feb 04
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000302
SIPDIS
AF/PD FOR D. FOLEY, C. DALTON
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR J. FRAZER, D. TEITELBAUM
LONDON FOR C. GURNEY
PARIS FOR C. NEARY
NAIROBI FOR T. PFLAUMER
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2014
SUBJECT: INDEPENDENT MEDIA UNDER THREAT – ANZ HEARING
POSTPONED, STUDIO 7 REPORTERS SACKED
REF: HARARE 223 AND PREVIOUS
Classified By: Political Officer Audu Besmer for reasons 1.5 b/d
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Supreme Court has postponed a hearing
on The Daily News’s (TDN) consolidated appeal, and the paper
remains unpublished. Tension between management and
journalists resulting from GOZ pressure on ANZ also may be
hindering the paper’s ability to publish. The GOZ has
expanded its assault on independent journalists by pressuring
other newspapers to fire stringers for VOA’s Studio 7. END
SUMMARY
Supreme Court Postpones TDN Hearing
———————————–
¶2. (SBU) On February 18 the Media and Information Commission
(MIC) and the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ)
consented to Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku’s proposal to
postpone the Supreme Court hearing on The Daily News’
consolidated appeal (Ref) until March 3. ANZ lawyer Mordecai
Mahlangu said the hearing was to cover whether ANZ could
challenge the constitutionality of the provision of the
Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA)
requiring mass media companies to register; an appeal by MIC
on whether it was in fact improperly constituted as the
Administrative Court ruled in October 2003; and a
confirmation that ANZ could exercise its right to publish per
that ruling. The hearing was postponed because the
Administrative Court failed to finalize documents normally
used in a Supreme Court hearing. Mahlangu said the March 3
postponement was not unreasonable and both sides were pleased
they would have additional time to prepare their arguments.
¶3. (SBU) On February 17 the High Court dismissed an urgent
application by ANZ to have its journalists accredited by the
MIC. Justice Alphas Chitakunye said the application was not
urgent and should go through the normal channels. The rules
under AIPPA say that the journalists should be allowed to
work while waiting for their applications for accreditation
to be considered. Fearing repercussions, however, and
possible arrest without registration they have refused to
work. Mahlangu said ANZ had not decided yet whether to
pursue registering its journalists via normal channels.
Tension Between TDN Journalists and Management
——————————————— –
¶4. (SBU) Insiders report that pay grievances between TDN
journalists and ANZ management are now also contributing to
TDN journalists’ refusal to work. On January 26, TDN
journalists struck, demanding higher transport allowances and
a 1000 percent salary increase. The sit-in ended on January
27 after ANZ management agreed to a transport allowance
rescue package of Z$150,000 (US$41) for January and February,
and Z$300,000 (US$82) monthly thereafter for each employee.
On or about February 11 a management crisis committee and a
workers committee agreed to monthly incremental salary
increases up to 960 percent by September. (Before the
negotiations, a senior
journalist at TDN earned a gross salary of Z$300,000 (US$82)
monthly and took home about half that, whereas a senior
journalist at the leading government paper, The Herald, earns
a gross salary of Z$2.4 million (US$649) and takes home not
less than Z$1 million (US$270).) Reportedly, TDN employees
also blame ANZ’s management and legal team for failing to
register the organization and the journalists in the first
place and steering the newspaper into this crisis.
Studio 7 Stringers Fired
————————
¶5. (C) On February 16, The Herald fired sports editor Robson
Sharuko, and journalists Tendai Ndemera and Rex Mphisa
allegedly for writing for VOA’s Studio 7. Sharuko said that
when he was fired suspected Central Intelligence Office (CIO)
agents accused him of being an enemy of the state and showed
him a list of Studio 7 stringers that included his name.
Sharuko said that after he was fired he met with a CIO agent
from his hometown who told him that there were plans underway
to continue following and harassing him and that he would not
be allowed to flee the country. Nevertheless, Sharuko
successfully fled to South Africa on February 19. In
October, the government-controlled daily “Chronicle” based in
Bulawayo fired Sithandekile Mhlanga allegedly for working for
Studio 7. Another stringer, Godfrey Maravanyika, was fired
from the semi-independent weekly “The Financial Gazette” in
November 2003. Maravanyika said the Department of
Information and Publicity in the President’s office and CIO
are in possession of a list of most of the stringers
contributing to Studio 7 and are putting pressure on their
employers to fire them. Earlier this month The Herald
published an article by Nathaniel Manheru, widely recognized
to be a pseudonym for Minister of Information Jonathan Moyo,
that named Maravanyika and other Studio 7 stringers and
congratulated the Financial Gazette for firing Maravanyika.
Comment
——-
¶6. (C) Although both sides accepted the Supreme Court’s
postponement of the ANZ hearing, it plays into the
government’s hand by delaying decisions that would permit TDN
to re-open. TDN’s problematic labor situation is just the
kind of symptom the GOZ intended to induce with its
legalistic campaign to intimidate and harass TDN and its
personnel.
¶7. (C) Comment continued. Whether or not MIC is declared
improperly constituted by the Supreme Court, under AIPPA ANZ
journalists should be able to work pending the outcome of
their applications as journalists. However, the journalists
have refused to work without licenses, and ANZ has not yet
decided whether to pursue its journalists’ licensing via
normal channels. Licensing via normal channels is in itself
a complicated issue as an Administrative Court ruled in
October that MIC, the body which would license journalists,
was improperly constituted. The root of TDN’s problem
continues to be an operating environment chilled by
repressive laws and relentless government efforts to bleed
the paper out of existence.
SULLIVAN
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