President Robert Mugabe’s only daughter, Bona Mugabe-Chikore, has been appointed to the censorship board in what critics say is a move to crackdown on negative media reports about the family.
Police spokesperson Charity Charamba will also serve on the 11-member board appointed by Home Affairs Minister Ignatious Chombo, along with representatives of church groups, the legal and accounting professions and traditional leaders.
The state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation said the board would control and regulate the media and film industry, and focus on the “rampant abuse of social media while also taking into consideration that general elections are set for next year”.
Mrs Mugabe-Chikore studied in Singapore, and has a Masters in Management, specialising in banking and finance. There is suspicion that her appointment is intended to “tighten censorship of anti-first family information in print, broadcast and social media”.
Actor and producer, Silvanos Mudzvova, slammed the appointment;
“They will never approve any work critical of or against the government, ruling party Zanu PF or the First Family. And Bona will never approve any theatrical scripts or material that critic her father.”
He added, “It’s a final nail on the artistic freedom of expression but as artists we should just stop sending our products for censorship but take the government head on.”
Minister Chombo meanwhile said “The board must brace themselves for a challenging term in office in this era of increased internet and social media. There is lot of work for you and the govern.”
