US embassy cable - 02HARARE1437

UNCLAS HARARE 001437 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PD, AF/S, AF/RA 
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, KPAO, ZI, Media and Communications 
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT TIGHTENS CONTROL OVER MEDIA -- NEW 
ACCREDITATION REQUIREMENTS PUBLISHED 
 
 
  1.   The government of Zimbabwe has announced the new 
      registration and accreditation requirements for media 
      organizations and journalists as prescribed by the Access 
      to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). 
      According to an extraordinary gazette published on June 15, 
      media organizations are now required to pay an application 
      fee of Z$20,000 and a registration charge of Z$500,000. 
      Local journalists working for the local media are now 
      required to pay an application fee of Z$1,000 and an 
      accreditation fee of Z$5,000, to allow them to operate in 
      the country.  Local freelance journalists will pay an 
      application fee of Z$500 and an accreditation fee of 
      Z$2,500.  Local journalists working for the foreign media 
      will pay an application fee of US$50 and an accreditation 
      fee of US$1,000.  Foreign journalists intending to work 
      temporarily in Zimbabwe are required to pay US$100 and 
      another US$500 for accreditation.  All foreign media 
      organizations seeking permission to operate a 
      representative office in Zimbabwe are now required to pay 
      an application fee of US$2,000 and another US$10,000 for 
      permission to operate. 
 
  2.   The new regulations also require that applications 
      from media organizations include information about their 
      business plan.  That includes annual balance sheets, profit 
      and loss statements, cash flow statements, and information 
      about the organization's financial backers and its leaders' 
      professional experience.  Media organizations will also be 
      required to pay a levy of 0.5 percent of its audited annual 
      gross turnover to the Media and Information Fund. 
 
  3.   In conjunction with other aspects of AIPPA, most 
      notably its prohibition on "publishing falsehoods" (thus 
      far applied only to privately owned media), these new 
      registration procedures strengthen the Government of 
      Zimbabwe's ability to control the media. 
 
  4.   Under headline "Media should not be entrapped like the 
      commercial farmers," the June 15 edition of the independent 
      daily "The Daily News" carried the following editorial: 
 
      ".Registering with the registrar of companies is a 
      legal requirement upon forming a company, so the 
      requirement under the AIPPA that media companies - 
      already registered under the Companies Act - should 
      register again, amount to double registration.  If 
      there is no intent to deny any media organization 
      registration, why does the Media and Information 
      Commission not accept registration under the 
      Companies Act as being valid under the law.?  One of 
      the dilemmas of registering is that it presupposes 
      an acceptance to subject oneself to AIPPA.  Once you 
      are in you can't get out.  It also might imply full 
      acceptance of the penalties attached thereto.  In 
      fairness to all, the media organizations should seek 
      a postponement to the Sunday deadline, while the 
      commission prepares itself for the task." 
 
SULLIVAN