Zim to tighten media laws ("subversive material of foreign origin" targeted in clampdown)

News 24 (South Africa) ^ | March 21, 2006

[Stoat]

Zim to tighten media laws
21/03/2006 16:53  - (SA)  

Related Articles

• Zim private media 'must reform'

• Banned Daily News to try again

• Zim, China media sign deal

• Bid to revamp Zim media laws

• Zim media highlight 'UK errors'

 

 

Harare - The head of Zimbabwe's media regulatory body wants to tighten press laws to control the distribution of "subversive material of foreign origin", say reports on Tuesday.

Zimbabwe's Media and Information Commission (MIC) had control over which newspapers were published in the country.

But, a few foreign publications that were often critical of President Robert Mugabe's government were distributed in Zimbabwe, to the apparent annoyance of the authorities.

The papers included weeklies such as the Zimbabwean, which was published in Britain; South Africa's Mail and Guardian newspaper and the Sunday Times of South Africa.

Local newspapers closed down

MIC chairperson Tafataona Mahoso said: "It is essential that we should regulate both the publishers and the distributors.

"Those distributors who import foreign periodicals should indicate where they are procuring such periodicals."

Mugabe signed the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) into law shortly after winning presidential elections in 2002.

Since then at least four local papers had been closed down and dozens of journalists - both local and foreign - were arrested.

According to reports, the state-run news agency was "on the brink of collapse".

Leo Mugabe, chairperson of the parliamentary committee on transport and communications, said that some members of staff from the agency, known as New Ziana, were "failing to come to work because of poor salaries, which were sometimes paid too late".

[Stoat]

More from Zimbabwe:

Zimbabwe Annual inflation rate for February surges to 782 %

Zim Bogus traditional healer held (Told woman to hire mermaids, use bull 'privates' to find car)

Africa Zim warns US ambassador (Amb. Dell could face deportation for criticizing Mugabe Gov't)

[Stoat]

No news for you!

[freepatriot32]

Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here

[Stoat]

Who's Who of Southern Africa

Full Profile of :: Mugabe, Robert Gabriel
 

Personal Information

 

Mugabe, Robert Gabriel
 

Date of Birth	21/02/1924
Place of Birth	Kutama Mission, Zimbabwe
Country of Residence	Zimbabwe
Nationality	Zimbabwean
Father's Name	Gabriel Mugabe
Mother's Name	Bona Shonhiwa
Spouse's Name	Grace Marufu
School	Kutuma Mission School

 

Education

 

 

Degrees

Type	Institution	Specialisation	Year
Bachelor of Arts	University of Fort Hare	Education
Bachelor of Science	University of London - UOL	Economics
Master of Science	University of South Africa	Economics
Bachelor of Law	University of South Africa
Master of Laws	University of South Africa
Bachelor of Administration	University of South Africa
Bachelor of Education	University of South Africa

Honorary Degrees

Type	Institution	Year
Honorary Doctor of Laws	University of Ahmadou Bello, Nigeria
Honorary Doctor of Laws	University of Zimbabwe
Honorary Doctor of Laws	University of Edinburgh
Honorary Doctor of Laws	University of Massachusetts, United States of America
Honorary Doctor of Laws	University of Michigan State, United States of America
Honorary Doctor of Laws	University of Morehouse
Honorary Doctor of Laws	College of St Augustines
Honorary Doctor of Laws	University of Moscow
Honorary Doctor of Literature and Philosophy
Honorary Doctor of Laws	University of Solusi
Honorary Doctor of Commerce	University of Fort Hare
Honorary Technical Doctorate
Honorary Doctor of Literature/Letters	University of Africa
Honorary Doctor of Civil Law
Honorary Technical Doctorate

 

  Career

Chairmanships

Position	Organisation	Place	Appointed	Concluded
Executive President	Zimbabwe		1987
President	Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF)		1977
Chairman	Organisation of African Unity		1997
First Chairman	SADC Organisation on Defence, Politics and Security		1996	2001
Chairman	World Solar Commission		1995
Chairman	G15 Group of Countries		1995
Chairman	Frontline States		1992
Chairman	CHOGM		1991	1994
Chairman	101 Strong Non-Aligned Movement		1986

 

Other Positions

Position	Organisation	Place	Appointed	Concluded
Minister	Defence and Public Service		1980	1984
Prime Minister	Zimbabwe		1980	1987
Leader	ZANU Delegation to London Lancaster House Conference paving way for first democratic elections		1979
Secretary General	ZANU		1963	1963
Co-Founder	Zimbabwe African People's Union		1961
Secretary General	Zimbabwe African National Union		1961	1963
Lecturer	St Mary's Teacher Training College	Takoradi, Ghana	1958	1960
Lecturer	Chalimbana Teacher Training College	Zambia	1955	1958
Teacher	Various schools in Zimbabwe		1952	1955
Teacher	Various schools in Zimbabwe		1942	1949
First Secretary	Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF)
Editor	The Democratic Voice (later renamed The People's Voice), NDP's mouthpiece

 

Community Activities

Position	Community / Non-Profit Organisation	Place	Appointed	Concluded
He joined politics while still at University	Southern Rhodesia African National Congress

Voluntary Activities

Position	Organisation / Club	Place	Appointed	Concluded
Elected President	ZANU		1977
Joined politics while still at University	Southern Rhodesia African National Congress
Joined	Southern Rhodesia African National Congress	Fort Hare, Eastern Cape

Career Related Activities

Activity	Institution	Place	Appointed	Concluded
Host	World Solar Summit	Zimbabwe	1996
Host	Commonwealth Summit	Zimbabwe	1991
Host	101 Strong Non-Aligned Movement	Zimbabwe	1986

 

Noteworthy Events

Noteworthy Events

He was elected President of ZANU in 1977.

He started his political career by joining Southern Rhodesia African National Congress whilst still at Fort Hare University.

He was elected chairman at the inaugural congress of the National Democratic Party in 1960.

He was detained between December 1963 and March 1964.

He was imprisoned in August 1964 until December 1974. In 1975 he escaped from Rhodesia into Mozambique to re-activate the armed liberation struggle.

He was the co-founder of the Zimbabwe African People's Union in 1961.

He was the founder member and Secretary-General of the Zimbabwe African National Union in 1963.

He was the editor for 'The Democratic Voice' (later renamed 'The People's Voice'), which was the National Democratic Party's mouthpiece.

He led the ZANU delegation to London Lancaster House Conference in 1979, which ended a 15-year conflict. This paved the way for the first democratic elections in March and the majority rule on 18th April 1980.

He was elected ZANU President in 1977, and re-elected in 1984, 1989, and 1994.

He formed the Government of National Unity in 1980, drawing it's members from all major political parties of the 15-year conflict.

He led the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA), the armed wing of ZANU, in 1975. He was the joint leader (with Joshua Nkomo) of the Patriotic Front in 1976. He attended the following conferences: Geneva Constitutional Conference on Rhodesia (1976), Malta Conference (1978), Lancaster House Conference (1979).

 

Awards

Award	Granting Body	Place	Year
Order of Jamaica			1996
Olympic Order of Gold for eminent contribution to Olympic Ideals			1995
The Jawaharlal Nehru Award			1989
Africa Prize for Leadership for the sustainable end of hunger	Hunger Project US		1988

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contact Details

Postal Address	Telephone	Facsimile	E-mail Address
c/o Office of the President Pvt Bag 7700 Causeway, Harare Zimbabwe	09263 470-7091/8		zimonline@gta.gov.zw

Key dates since 1980

Key dates since 1980
29/03/2005 13:27  - (SA)  

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is pictured in this file photo during the 4th National People's Congress in Harare, December 2 2004. (AFP)

 

Harare - Here are the key dates since Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980:

 

• April 18, 1980: Rhodesia gains independence after 90 years as a British colony, taking the new name Zimbabwe. The 1972-1979 war of independence between nationalist blacks and the minority white regime led by Ian Smith leaves 27 000 dead. Robert Mugabe, head of Zimbabwe African National Union (Zanu), takes power as prime minister. Joshua Nkomo, head of the Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (Zapu), Mugabe's partner in the armed struggle, becomes minister of the interior.

   

• Feb 17, 1982: Nkomo, accused of plotting a coup, is dismissed. Armed resistance in his stronghold of Matabeleland, in the west, is met with bloody government repression. At least 20 000 die in the ensuring massacres.

   

• Dec 30, 1987: Mugabe becomes head of state after reforming the constitution to usher in a presidential regime.

   

• Dec 19, 1989: The two rival movements merge under the name Zanu-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF).

   

• March 16-17, 1996: Mugabe is re-elected with 92.7% of the vote but the results are contested by the opposition.

   

• Dec 9, 1997: A national strike paralyses the country. Bowing to growing demonstrations, the government gives up plans for new taxes to finance the pensions of former fighters.

   

• Aug 20, 1998: The country intervenes in the Democratic Republic of Congo to support the regime against a rebellion. The last Zimbabwean soldiers withdraw at the end of 2002.

   

• Sept 11, 1999: The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is officially formed.

   

• Feb 12-13, 2000: In a public repudiation of Mugabe's designs on expanding his presidential powers and expropriating white-owned farms, Zimbabweans defeat his proposed new constitution by 54.6% in a referendum.

   

• Feb 28, 2000: Hundreds of white-owned farms are seized by squatters and pro-Mugabe war veterans in a violent campaign to reclaim what they said had been stolen from them by colonial settlers.

   

• June 24-25, 2000: In parliamentary elections the Zanu-PF barely keeps its hold on power against the MDC after a campaign closely linked to land disputes left dead some 30 people, mainly members of the MDC. Due to the elections, the Zanu-PF loses its power to change the constitution.

   

• Oct 16-19, 2000: Violent demonstrations break out in Harare suburbs after bread prices are raised by 30%.

   

• March 9-11, 2002: Mugabe re-elected president in a poll marked by violence and denounced as rigged by most international observers. Sanctions are imposed on Mugabe and his entourage by western authorities.

   

• Dec 7, 2003: The Commonwealth extends Zimbabwe's suspension, imposed in 2002. Mugabe announces the country's withdrawal from the organization.

   

• March 7, 2004: 70 suspected mercenaries are arrested on charges of plotting a coup in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea.

   

• Oct 15, 2004: MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai is cleared by the High Court of charges of plotting to kill Mugabe.

   

• Dec 11, 2004: the MDC issues a catalogue of alleged human rights abuses it said were perpetrated against its members in 2004 by ruling party supporters and state agents.

   

• Feb 19, 2005: Zimbabwe's Information Minister Jonathan Moyo is sacked after registering as an independent candidate in parliamentary elections.

   

• Feb 21 and March 2, 2005: The European Union and the United States extend sanctions.

[Supernatural]

Zimbabwe was infinently better off under British rule.

Members of third world nations seem to be unable to govern themselves. I guess that is why they are third world nations.