By Tichaona Sibanda
Jonathan Moyo, ZANU PF’s propaganda chief has filed a US$100 000 lawsuit against the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ) over two articles published in the Daily News based on WikiLeaks revelations.
- Moyo’s lawsuit comes hard on the heels of a threat by Media Information and Publicity Minister Webster Shamu’s threat to revoke licences of foreign and private media organisations for attacking Robert Mugabe and ZANU PF.
The serial flip-flopper has said the two stories, detailing previously confidential comments made by Moyo at the US Embassy in Harare, were ‘unlawful, scandalous, contrived, fabricated, false, absurd and highly defamatory.’ Moyo’s comments were revealed in diplomatic cables released by the whistle-blowing group WikiLeaks.
The daily paper has said it stands by its stories and would defend them in court. Stanley Gama, the editor of the Daily News and the community affairs editor, Thelma Chikwanha who wrote the articles and the ANZ are listed as respondents in the lawsuit filed at the High Court on Monday.
Moyo’s lawsuit comes hard on the heels of a threat by Media Information and Publicity Minister Webster Shamu’s threat to revoke licences of foreign and private media organisations for attacking Robert Mugabe and ZANU PF.
Shamu’s remarks were made at a ZANU PF meeting in Mutare over the weekend. Various media bodies and organisations have blasted Shamu for the comments, with MISA Zimbabwe going as far as saying the “threats make a strong case on the urgent need for constitutional provisions that explicitly guarantee media freedom and citizens’ right to access to information.”
Meanwhile, the trial of two journalists from the Standard newspaper charged with criminal defamation will begin on the 24th October in Harare, their lawyer said on Wednesday.
Nevanji Madanhire, the editor and Patience Nyangove, a reporter were arrested on the 29th June this year following the publication of a story, titled: ‘MDC-T fears for missing Timba.’
The story penned by Nyangove alleged that the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s office Jameson Timba had been arrested by police officers who included ‘the notorious Chrispen Makedenge’ when the latter was allegedly not involved in the arrest.
The two scribes are being jointly charged with Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) human resources manager, Loud Ramakgapola. AMH are publishers of the Standard, Zimbabwe Independent and NewsDay.
Linda Cook, the lawyer representing the trio told SW Radio Africa that she had met an officer from the Attorney General’s offices in the magistrate’s chambers where it was agreed the trial will kick off next month.
“It’s all set for the trial now and I believe as a defence team we are also ready,” Cook said. It is believed that Chief Superintendent Makedenge took exception to being described as ‘notorious’ in the story published by the Standard.
The state argues that he was not among the detectives who arrested Timba from his central Harare offices. SW Radio Africa
