Media organisations have condemned the continued harassment of journalists in the wake of a suspicious search of journalists who were returning from lunch at St Lucia Park in Harare on Thursday.
NewsDay Editor Brian Mangwende and the paper’s political editor Kelvin Jakachira, along with former Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation news editor Patrice Makova, were stopped for about 30 minutes and searched by six known State agents, as they left the venue.
Media Institute of Southern Africa national chairman Loughty Dube said the search, which came a few days after unknown criminals broke into the NewsDay’s offices and stole Mangwende’s laptop and hard drives belonging to senior staffers, was meant to intimidate journalists.
“We are concerned about the intimidation of journalists and whoever is responsible should desist from doing that and allow the media to do its job,” said Dube.
“We don’t think the intimidation of journalists is the way to go. Any measures put in place to curb the operations of journalists is an attack on press freedom.”
The Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) also condemned the harassment and said it was against the “the freedom of practising journalism and the enjoyment of freedom of expression.
“If anything, this action is deemed more of a threat, than a matter of State security,” said Takura Zhangazha, the executive secretary of VMCZ.
Dumisani Sibanda, the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists president, said the incident was sad and called for the respect of journalists.
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“This attitude of treating journalists like common thieves or criminals is disheartening. It should stop. Journalists should be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve,” he said.
“This incident is an affront to press freedom. It’s an attempt to cow and bully journalists so that they don’t carry out their duty in the right frame of mind,” said Sibanda.
Media Information and Publicity minister Webster Shamu refused to comment.
