Three journalists from the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Cooperation (ZBC) were injured after an explosion today at the Bulawayo White City stadium. The injured are cameraman Coster Thole, technician Chipo Five, and producer Forget Tsododo. The three were taken to Mpilo hospital for treatment. The journalists were covering a ZANU-PF rally, where President Emmerson Mnangagwa was drumming support towards the 30 July 2018 general election.
There has been no concrete information on the cause of the blast or the total number of injured people in the incident. Currently, there have just been confirmations that President Mnangagwa was not hurt in the blast.
MISA Zimbabwe Position
MISA Zimbabwe condemns any acts of violence in the country’s body polity. We call upon the political actors to uphold the need for supremacy of ideas rather than the use of violence as a political tool. Our politics should break with its violent past and graduate into a fully-fledged democracy where politics is a battleground of ideas rather than a space of violence.
Media practitioners injured in the line of duty are encouraged to approach MISA Zimbabwe for assistance. Members of the public who have any information on other media practitioners injured in today’s blast are kindly requested to get in touch with MISA with information on the injured journalists.
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