Many of us let out a sigh of relief when Owen Gagare and Dumisani Muleya – from the Zimbabwe Independent – were released following their arrest for publishing an article which had exposed secret relations between Zimbabwe security forces and the government. Most African newspapers refer to the arrests something akin to a scare tactic since they occurred during the run-up to Zimbabwe’s elections. It is also worth pointing out that these arrests insultingly coincided with World Press Freedom Day on the 3rd May. There is therefore clearly a broader agenda behind these arrests, and although these two men have been released, the legislation which has remained in place for over a decade in Zimbabwe still restricts freedom of the press and continues to heavily descend upon those journalists and activists who exercise their right to freedom of expression.
Unfortunately, this is not new in Zimbabwe. The existence of laws such as the Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and the Public Order and Scrutiny Act allow the censorship of the media and the arrest of anyone who publishes things the government dislike; so it seems newspaper The Zimbabwean is somewhat justified in accusing the state of constantly attempting to “vilify independent journalists as clowns and sell-outs”.
And yet the forces of opposition, which have been active but disparate in the past, are gathering. The situation has reached breaking point and despite the government’s outlawing of foreign newspapers, the expansion of mass media and online journalism exposes Zimbabweans to international opinion and uncensored realities.
Women and Men of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) is a human rights organisation which has been at the forefront of this struggle, receiving media attention and protection from Amnesty International in the past following the harassment, beating and detention of its activists for participating in peaceful protests. Recently, however, it has taken its campaigning to the next level. Last month, WOZA and its attorneys filed a communication to the ‘African Commission for Human and People’s Rights’, requesting that it establish provisional measures, interdicting Zimbabwe’s attempts to stifle peaceful protest, demonstrations and freedom of expression. We still await the outcome, but the legal case against the state of Zimbabwe appears to be watertight. Jenni Williams, the founder of WOZA, has since won a James Lawson Award for her triumphs of civil rights resistance.
The Voluntary Media Council (VMC) of Zimbabwe and the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ) have also taken action, as the looming elections demonstrate how government corruption and censorship are becoming more intolerable. On World Press Freedom Day, they named Zimbabwe a “pseudo-democracy” and media reforms were discussed, including the drafting of a new constitution which included progressive tactics to challenge the current legislation. The online community has, naturally, been active in the struggle as well. For a country which accounted for only 1.2% of Africa’s internet usage in 2012, online platforms have shown to be one of the most effective ways of spreading news and ideas, and various online petitions on forcechange.com and change.org have joined the battle, including a petition to President Robert Mugabe asking him to permit international observers to monitor this year’s general election.
It appears that the discourse among ordinary Zimbabweans is transforming rapidly in the wake of revolutions and uprisings across the globe. Those who are challenging the Zimbabwean government’s repression may not be using firearms and militancy to defend their freedom of expression, but however they choose to fight, they can make use of unity, organisation and international support to overcome such a great obstacle to democracy.
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