This short brief highlights media related flashpoints that occurred during the 2018 electoral period. It provides a summary of events that directly and indirectly violated media freedoms in the country.
News
President Mnangagwa should prioritise media reforms
Journalists, media practitioners and representatives of media organisations have implored President Emmerson Mnangagwa to prioritise implementation of the long overdue media reforms following his inauguration as the new Zimbabwean leader.
Post-2018 Elections Media Conference Resolutions
We, Zimbabwean journalists, editors and media practitioners, having gathered at a post-2018 elections review conference organised by the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Zimbabwe) with the support of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), hereby resolve and implore:
Journalist threatened during Masvingo’s mayoral elections
An MDC Alliance councillor and his party’s supporters on 5 September 2018 threatened Tatenda Chitagu, a NewsDay journalist as he attempted to film protests that broke out during Masvingo’s mayoral elections.
Zimbabwean journalist denied passport
Violet Gonda, a Zimbabwean journalist who has been working abroad for the past eighteen years was this week, denied a Zimbabwean passport.
Journalists threatened during Chitungwiza’s mayoral elections
ZANU PF supporters and councillors on 4 September 2018 threatened journalists against taking pictures of protests that broke out during the Chitungwiza municipality mayoral elections.
MP verbally attacks and threatens journalist
Member of Parliament for Buhera South Joseph Chinotimba verbally attacked and threatened a journalist for the Masvingo provincial weekly The Mirror during this year’s commemorations to mark Heroes Day.
Regional onslaughts against free expression retrogressive
MISA Zimbabwe stands in defence and solidarity with media practitioners in Tanzania, Mozambique, and Zambia in the wake of increasing onslaughts against media freedoms and the right to access to information in the three countries.
Journalist detained by the army
NewsDay journalist Tinotenda Samukange was detained for close to three hours by soldiers in Harare’s high-density suburb of Kuwandzana on the 3rd of August 2018.
Riot police temporarily block journalists access to MDC Alliance press conference
Local and foreign media were temporarily barred access to an MDC Alliance press conference called by the party leader Nelson Chamisa at the Bronte Hotel, Harare.