Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA)
GPA demands a genuine commitment towards achieving freedom of expression in Zimbabwe
Sokwanele Article: May 19th, 2009Focusing on Clauses 19.1(d) and (e)
Sokwanele's ZIG Watch project has been documenting violations of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) signed between Zimbabwe's three main political parties. Through this article, Sokwanele aims to familiarise our readership with sub-clauses 19.1(d) and (e). These are two of five sub-clauses falling under Article XIX of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) signed on 15 September 2008. Article XIX sets out to recognise the importance of the right to freedom of expression and the role of the media in a multi-party democracy.
Article XIX, Clause 19.1 (d) that steps be taken to ensure that the public media provides balanced and fair coverage to all political parties for their legitimate political activities [and] Clause (e) that the public and private media shall refrain from using abusive language that may incite hostility, political intolerance and ethnic hatred or that unfairly undermines political parties and other organisations. To this end, the inclusive government shall ensure that appropriate measures are taken to achieve this objective.
Accountability and Responsibility
Under the GPA, the Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity has been allocated to Zanu PF. The new Minister of Information is Webster Shamu who has been described as "instrumental in helping to turn the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation into a centre of hate speech and blatant propaganda."
Publish and be damned?: Zimbabwean commentators 'blacklisted' by the SABC
Sokwanele Article: November 27th, 2006In a country such as Zimbabwe, where the media is far from free, still greater reliance than normal is placed on international reporting of the gross human rights abuses that are being perpetrated within our borders. Here, journalists are threatened with arrest and imprisonment under the draconian AIPPA (Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act), accreditation by the regime is required, and foreign reporters and press agencies are selectively banned. Accordingly, Zimbabweans learned of the biased reporting policy practised by the South African national broadcaster with a profound sense of shock and dismay.
The shameful news of the South African Broadcasting Corporation's (SABC) informal reporting policy came to light in September after an internal commission was set up to investigate the News and Current Affairs Managing Director Snuki Zikalala.
Another light goes out in Zimbabwe
Sokwanele Article: February 12th, 2004If Zimbabwe were a free country - which by any standard it is not - the nation's flags would surely be flying at half mast this week. For last week the Chief Justice effectively sentenced media freedom to death. In his ruling in the case brought by the Independent Journalists' Association of Zimbabwe Chief Justice Chidyausiku (a close associate of Mugabe and former member of his cabinet) upheld the constitutionality of certain key sections of the restrictive media laws controlling local journalists and foreign correspondents. At a stroke he awarded Mugabe's chief spin doctor Jonathan Moyo (sometimes known as minister of propaganda and misinformation) the power to decide quite arbitrarily who may practise as a journalist in Zimbabwe and who may not. Surely the dream of every dictator.
