Coronavirus: Amid lockdown, Zimbabwean journalists face prosecution (Analysis)

09 Avril 2020

Harare, Zimbabwe, April 9 (Infosplusgabon) - Local freelance journalist, Panashe Makufa, had heard that members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) were dispersing a crowd in the Harare high density suburb of Kuwadzana on Saturday.

This was after Kuwadzana residents ignored some national lockdown regulations in place and assembled at a local shopping centre that afternoon.

Having been tipped of the dispersal, Makufa, in his 20s, arrived at the shopping centre sometime around 1700hrs as police were dispersing the crowd, ordering people to get back into their homes and proceeded to take pictures of the ordeal.

While he was taking the pictures, four ZRP members spotted and approached Makufa and ordered him to stop taking pictures.

After Makufa complied, the police forced the journalist to produce his National Media Accreditation Card, leading to the former showing the officers his expired 2019 credentials.

The officers then led Makufa to one of their police vehicles wherein, after entering the car, he was assaulted by two of the officers in the group and forced to delete pictures he had taken.

Afterwards, the police drove Makufa to another shopping centre nearby and left him there.

“The MISA Zimbabwe lawyer is assisting Makufa on legal steps to take in response to the assault and loss of the entire day’s worth of footage. MISA Zimbabwe is also assisting the freelance journalist with access to medical attention,” said MISA Zimbabwe, a media watchdog.

Sadly, this was not the only instance of police brutality against journalists.

On Wednesday, Beatific Ngumbwanda, a journalist with the weekly local newspaper, TellZim, was arrested by the police in Chiredzi and accused of violating the lockdown regulations.

Chiredzi is a small town in the Masvingo Province, southeast of Zimbabwe.

Ngumbwanda was in the town taking pictures of the police manning different checkpoints preventing people from violating the national lockdown regulations.

Again, the police spotted Ngumbwanda, approached and detained him.

“Ngumbwanda was detained for almost two hours before the police subsequently decided to release him. MISA Zimbabwe understands that he was arrested while conducting his lawful professional duties despite his explanations to the police that he was a journalist,” MISA Zimbabwe said.

“He even produced his accreditation card, but the police were nonetheless adamant that he was committing an offence."

Since the lockdown took place, a total of five journalists have been either assaulted or arrested by police while carrying out their duties during the 21-day national lockdown that went into effect on 30 March 2020 to avoid spreading COVID-19 (coronavirus).

To date, there are 11 confirmed COVID-19 cases and three related deaths.

“It is worrisome that some of our members have received complaints of human rights violations perpetuated by some police officers,” said the National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (Nango), where all the NGOs in Zimbabwe are registered.

The assault against journalists is despite the media being among the sectors categorized as an essential service allowed to operate during the ongoing national lockdown.

Further, the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) is on record authorising journalists to operate with their 2019 National Accreditation Cards until the commission issues the new 2020 cards.

The delay in issuing the 2020 National Accreditation Cards is due to government being unable to afford the materials needed to make the accreditation cards as well as raising the application fees a week before the national lockdown.

ZMC is a government authority under the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services that governs journalists in Zimbabwe.

As a result, journalists have to contend with some 'overzealous' police officers.

Currently, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) is representing a freelance journalist who was accused of insulting police officers by the ZRP.

“Zimbabwean police on Thursday 2 April 2020 arrested and charged Nunurai Jena, a freelance journalist with contravening some stringent regulations imposed this early week by government in a bid to combat the spread of coronavirus in the country,” ZLHR said.

“The 55-year-old Jena, who become the latest person to fall victim to the country’s new and stringent measures, was charged with contravening section 11(a)(b) of the Public Health (COVID-19), Prevention, Containment and Treatment (National Lockdown) Order, 2020 and with disorderly conduct as defined in section 41(b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act after he was arrested while recording video footage of some police officers who were manning a checkpoint set up long the Chinhoyi-Chegutu highway in Mashonaland West province.”

The ZRP members justified Jena’s arrest by stating that the journalist’s insults hindered and obstructed them from working.

“Nunurai Jena was not arrested for or in connection with possession of a 2019 accreditation card. He was arrested for a totally different matter, charges which were fully explained to him and his legal representative,” ZRP said.

Jena has since denied the allegations levelled against him that he insulted the police.

The harassment of journalists is part of a general increase in corruption and brutality perpetrated by ZRP members.

Munyaradzi Bidi, of the Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa (ACT-SA), said evidence of corruption and brutality that they were receiving was now overwhelming.

“ACT-SA is inundated with reports of corruption and torture of members of the public. I don’t know the instructions that police officers have been given but any sane manager within the police service is not expected to have given instructions to solicit bribes. What is happening during this period of the lockdown is shocking,” he said.

“Apart from reports of corruption, we are also receiving reports of police brutality which we hope that human rights organizations in Zimbabwe will take up. For instance, in the Mbizo township some of the police officers on patrol were spotted drinking alcohol. One of the drunk officers assaulted a member of the public.”

He added after the assault thereof, the victim’s attempts to report at Mbizo Police Station failed since the same officer who assaulted him is from the same police station.

Mbizo township is in the city of Kwekwe, located in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe.

Commenting on the incidences, ZRP spokesperson Paul Nyathi  said that there needed to be better communication between the police and journalists.

“We need to have better communication between the police and journalists. Yes, we do admit that there are some isolated incidents of rogue behaviour by our police that have occurred but in some of the others the arrests were warranted as was the case with Jena who had repeatedly insulted police officers,” Nyathi said.

“After one of the incidents in Gweru, we quickly met with the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services wherein it was agreed that due to the delay in the 2020 National Media Accreditation cards, journalists could operate using the 2019 ones and this has been communicated to all our commanders throughout the country.”

The Gweru incident in refers to senior journalist Kudzanai Musengi who was arrested in the city's central business district while reporting on the low activity as a result of the lockdown.

Gweru is one of the major cities in Zimbabwe, and is the capital of the Midlands Province.

Nyathi said that they were currently working on engaging the Ministry and media houses after the lockdown to discuss a cooperation framework between the police and media in way that doesn’t impede on the other’s work.

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