US embassy cable - 04HARARE726

UNCLAS HARARE 000726 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, BARNES AND SIMS 
NSC FOR TEITLEBAUM 
AF FOR RAYNOR 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, KPAO, KMDR, ZI, Media and Communications 
SUBJECT: PRESS UNDER FIRE AGAIN IN ZIMBABWE 
 
  1.   We have recently noticed a new and more dangerous 
      attack on the press in Zimbabwe.  On Monday April 26, 2004 
      an editorial entitled "Time to deal with traitors" appeared 
      in the government owned newspaper "The Herald."   The 
      editorial was at best threatening and at worst a call for 
      hate crimes.  One quote was ".we call upon the Government of 
      Zimbabwe to explore ways of dealing with Zimbabweans who are 
      giving aid to the enemies of the country by deliberately 
      portraying it in a bad light.Surely our legal experts can 
      pore through the law books to establish whether or not these 
      people are not in breach of the law.elsewhere people have 
      been tried and convicted in absentia for various crimes 
      including treason.." 
 
 
  2.   Several other events have taken place this week as 
      well.  John Chimunhu, an editor at New Ziana, the state run 
      news service has resigned under pressure.  Journalists at 
      New Ziana have been grilled by the Central Intelligence 
      Organization (CIO) and all were ordered to sign a paper 
      indicating that they were members of the ZANU-PF party. 
      They were also ordered not to cover the doings of the 
      opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).  Due to 
      this, Mr Chimunhu has resigned his job. 
 
 
  3.   Another example has to do with the publisher of "The 
      Tribune", a paper that has recently been showing a new 
      independent style.  Kindness Paradza, ZANU PF legislator and 
      the new publisher of the semi-independent weekly "The 
      Tribune," has been suspended from carrying out party work in 
      his Makonde constituency.  His dismissal comes barely two 
      months after taking over and transforming the "The Tribune" 
      into a lively and independent newspaper. 
 
 
  4.   ZANU PF's Mashonaland West provincial executive, 
      chaired by Robert Mugabe's nephew Phillip Chiyangwa, issued 
      Paradza with a prohibition order last Tuesday (April 26) 
      suspending him from performing his duties until the outcome 
      of a disciplinary hearing scheduled for May 27, 2004. 
      Paradza, who has been in Parliament for less than a year, is 
      being accused of "insubordination, gross indiscipline and 
      fanning disunity among cadres in the district and province." 
      Paradza, who is currently in Luton, United Kingdom, visiting 
      his wife, has dismissed the suspension as "a non-event." 
 
 
  5.   Investigations into Paradza's conduct arose following 
      an adverse report in the April 25 edition of the government 
      controlled weekly "The Sunday Mail."  The paper accused 
      Paradza of traveling to the United Kingdom on April 23 in 
      order "to meet some officials of a British organization 
      ready to fund his take over bid."  Paradza added fuel to the 
      fire when he criticized the country's media laws, the 
      Broadcasting Services Act and the Access to Information and 
      Protection of Privacy Act, in his maiden speech in 
      Parliament.  He stated that the laws were "too restrictive 
      and discouraged potential local investment in the media." 
      Paradza is also being accused of seeking help from the 
      Directors of the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ), 
      publishers of the banned independent daily "The Daily News". 
      An editorial carried in the April 16, 2004 edition of "The 
      Tribune" where the paper is alleged to have "clearly 
      bemoaned the demise of The Daily News." Was cited as a 
      problem. Surprisingly, the editorial in question did not 
      comment on the closure of the Daily News at all.  Under 
      headline "Zimbabweans need new political outlook," the 
      editorial reviewed Zimbabwe's 24 years of independence. 
 
 
  6.   With elections looming in March 2005, it is clear that 
      the Government of Zimbabwe is leaving nothing to chance and 
      will mount a strong campaign to control all of the written 
      as well as the electronic media. 
 
  SULLIVAN