HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa has issued a stern warning to Zimbabwean journalists on Wednesday, stating that content deemed harmful to the country or its citizens would not be tolerated and would be met with “a punch in the eye”.
Speaking at the launch of Zimbabwe’s Media and Communications Policy in Harare, Mnangagwa declared;
“The past trends where media practitioners competed for prominence on the degree to which they demonise our country has no place in Zimbabwe we fought for.
“We are building the Zimbabwe we all want, including the media. Content that harms our country and fellow citizens has no place in our constitutional democracy under my watch.
“The law and justice system will take its course on all those who infringe on the rights of others on media platforms.
“Under my leadership, the media will continue to be our cornerstone for promoting unity, peace, social cohesion, harmony and the love for our country. Anything besides this, chibhakera muziso (we punch you in the face).”
This warning comes after Alpha Media Holdings senior journalist Blessed Mhlanga was recently granted bail on May 7, having been detained for 72 days.
Mhlanga was arrested on February 24 and charged with ‘transmitting data messages that incite violence or damage to property’ after interviewing a former senior member of the ruling Zanu-PF party, Blessed Geza, who had criticised President Mnangagwa calling for his removal from office.
Amnesty International has called for all charges against Mhlanga to be dropped, describing his prosecution as “unjust and in contravention of Zimbabwe’s constitutional and international obligations to respect and uphold the rights to freedom of expression and press freedoms.”
For over two decades, the Zimbabwean government has faced persistent and widespread criticism concerning its human rights record.
This criticism is characterised by a pattern of abuses, including the frequent arrest and detention of journalists and opposition political activists, often under politically motivated charges.
These actions, alongside other forms of repression such as the excessive use of force against peaceful protestors and arbitrary detentions, have been consistently documented by local and international human rights organisations.
The media policy launch was held under the theme, “Promoting media excellence and diversity for national development.”
In short dont criticise "uShefuism" infact praise it because that is what state papers have been doing over the last 45 years. Even if government neglects schools and hospitals and instead buys houses and SUVs for MaShefu,ignore it.This is normal after all they fought for this country.
Not all of us are mentally diseased politically…