trial for two other charges of incitement to
commit violence and disorderly conduct. The
crackdown on the freedom of expression
continues unabated as a Harare man was
arrested on 7 April on charges of insulting
President Mnangagwa after he allegedly said the
Zanu PF leader was a failure and would lose the
elections expected sometime in August this year.
The victim appeared before Harare magistrate
Dennis Mangosi and was remanded in custody
pending bail application.
Recommendations
Civil society should continue to
challenge laws that criminalise people
who exercise their constitutionally
guaranteed fundamental freedoms
namely freedom of expression and
freedom to demonstrate and petition.
Right to personal security of
Election Observers and Journalists
Media organisations continued to petition the
Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob
Mudenda asking for Parliament to investigate
cases of cyberbullying and threats against
journalists. In a joint letter to Mudenda,
Zimbabwe Union of Journalist s (ZUJ),
Zimbabwe National Editors’ Forum (ZINEF) and
the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ) stated
that threats on journalists instil fear and selfcensorship among them. This compromises
citizens’ right to access to information as
provided for by the Constitution. This follows
sustained attacks on Twitter, whereby the
account of Tinoedza Zvimwe alleged to belong
to P re s i d e n t i a l S p o ke s p e r s o n G e o rg e
Charamba, was used to threaten journalists with
imprisonment for constantly reporting on the Al
Jazeera ‘Gold Mafia’ documentary on alleged
gold smuggling and money laundering in
Zimbabwe.
7
Repeated threats against the media are
retrogressive and unconstitutional. Election
observers have also raised concerns over their
safety and security during the observation of
international elections as they remain vulnerable
to attacks and threats. This came out in the
Southern Africa Development Community
(SADC) Electoral Advisory Council’s (SEAC)
engagement with journalists to assess the
political environment. Zimbabwe’s First Lady
Auxillia Mnangagwa on 24 April also reportedly
barred journalists from the private media from
covering her tour of the Museum of African
Liberation in Harare. Her security aides
reportedly stated that only journalists from State
media were allowed to cover the event. Before
this on the 22nd of April President Mnangagwa
reportedly barred a BuStop TV news crew from
covering the handing over of Deeds of Grant to
residents in Epworth, Harare.
THE ZIMBABWE PEACE PROJECT MONTHLY MONITORING REPORT | APRIL 2023