Freelance reporter charged with insulting Zimbabwe’s president
On June 29, 2020, Godfrey Mtimba, a freelance journalist in Zimbabwe’s southern town of Masvingo, was charged with insulting and undermining the authority of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the journalist and his lawyer, Phillip Shumba, told CPJ via messaging app. Mtimba was charged under Section 33 (2) (a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act,…
Two Zimbabwean journalists charged with violating COVID-19 lockdown
New York, June 23, 2020 — Zimbabwean prosecutors should drop the charges filed against two journalists for violating the country’s COVID-19 lockdown regulations and ensure that they can report freely about alleged abuses by security forces, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Frank Chikowore, a freelance journalist, and Samuel Takawira, a reporter for the…
Political party security officials assault Zimbabwean journalist
On January 21, 2020, security officers affiliated with the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance, a Zimbabwean opposition group, barred journalist Robert Tapfumaneyi from covering a meeting in the capital, Harare, assaulted him, and broke his camera lens, according to the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app, news reports, and a statement by the…
CPJ calls on SADC heads of state to prioritize press freedom and the safety of journalists
CPJ writes to the executive secretary and heads of state of the Southern African Development Community ahead of the 39th Ordinary Summit, urging them to prioritize press freedom and the safety of journalists in SADC.
Zimbabwe must release filmmaker Zenzele Ndebele
New York, March 21–State security today arrested documentary filmmaker Zenzele Ndebele and charged him with “possession of offensive weapons at public gatherings,” under Section 43 of Zimbabwe’s Criminal Law Code, according to his lawyers and news reports. Security officers found a used tear gas canister in the journalist’s car when he arrived for a meeting…
CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Idai in Southern Africa
Tropical Cyclone Idai made landfall during the night of March 14 and 15 in the Sofala province of Mozambique. The storm continued inland, causing flooding across Mozambique and parts of Zimbabwe and Malawi. The port city of Beira, Mozambique’s fourth largest city, has been flattened and the humanitarian crisis is acute, according to news reports.…
CPJ joins call for Zimbabwe to restore internet and social media access
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined more than 20 rights organizations and the #KeepItOn Coalition to call for authorities in Zimbabwe to restore internet and social media services, commit to maintaining internet access, and encourage accountability from telecommunication and internet service providers to respect human rights.
Zimbabwe arrests NewsDay journalist over story on first lady’s underwear donation
New York, October 3, 2017–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Zimbabwean authorities to immediately release NewsDay journalist Kenneth Nyangani and drop all charges against him. Nyangani was arrested yesterday and charged with criminal nuisance for reporting that First Lady Grace Mugabe had donated used underwear to supporters of the country’s ruling ZANU-PF party,…
Journalists caught in crosshairs amid protests and unrest in Zimbabwe
A photograph of freelance journalist Lucy Yasini trying to ward off an attack by police while covering a protest in Harare was circulated on social media last week. A day later, a photograph was shared of two reporters, Obey Manayiti and Robert Tapfumaneyi, in the back of a police truck after their arrest. The incidents…