Weekly Media Review Summary 2011-38

IN an attempt to present ZANU PF as right in its conflict with the West on various issues and as still popular in the region, the national broadcaster, ZBC, distorted or selectively reported on the views of some members of the international community about ZANU PF’s policies.
This was evident in three stories ZBC carried this week.
One of them was based on a meeting between the ZANU PF National Chairman Simon Khaya Moyo and Swedish Ambassador Anders Liden to discuss bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and Sweden (ZBC, 20/9, 8pm).
ZBC (20/9, 8pm) reported that during this meeting the Swedish ambassador “admitted” that some members of the European Union are unhappy with the “illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe”. Liden reportedly claimed that “only a few” Western countries are against Zimbabwe’s controversial land reform programme, the alleged basis for EU sanctions. He said: “Sweden was never in favour of unequal land redistribution. We think you are right to do something about the land issue, to solve it”.
ZBC (20/9, 8pm) then reported Khaya Moyo interpreting Liden’s remarks as evidence his country “has no bi-lateral grudge with Zimbabwe, but by virtue of being a member of the EU it has a case to answer on the devastating effects of the illegal embargo on the country”.
This story was capped by an editorial intrusion by ZBC reporter Tendai Munengwa who said: “The past few months have seen a sudden turn of diplomatic relations as the Americans and other Western allies are seeking to re-engage with ZANU PF and government in socio-economic and political spheres”.
The other report emanated from the visit by senior members of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC).
ZBC (21/9, 8pm) reported the delegation, led by party secretary-general Gwede Mentashe, as having come to “exchange notes” with their ZANU PF counterparts on “how to preserve the gains of the liberation movements”. It quoted Mentashe confirming this saying the visit was meant to “consolidate the long-term relationship” between ZANU PF and the ANC, adding that there was need by these parties to “continuously engage each other and map out strategies in response to a scaled-up onslaught by neo-colonial forces against liberation movements”.

ZBC also reported Mentashe as having endorsed ZANU PF’s controversial indigenization and land reform programmes on the grounds that they were meant to correct historical imbalances and empower the poor (ZBC, 23/9, 8pm).
However, it deliberately declined to interpret Mentashe’s unflattering comments, as they appeared to cast ZANU PF in negative light. He said: “We are learning from your mistakes, we want you to actually warn ourselves…(inaudible) that thou shall not do x, y and z, its dangerous!”
Furthermore, ZBC censored Mentashe’s criticism of ANC youth leader Julius Malema, suggesting that he might have borrowed some of his radical traits, like calls for the vigorous implementation of the black economic empowerment initiative, from ZANU PF (SW Radio Africa and New Zimbabwe, 21 & 22/9).

ZANU PF in ‘siege mentality’
MMPZ has noted a resurgence of reports on ZBC accusing the West of having stepped up its attempts to remove President Mugabe and his ZANU PF party from government and replacing them with an entirely MDC-T one, led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
The national broadcaster carried five such reports.
One of them was based on claims by ZANU PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo that his party had “unearthed a plot where imperialist forces are secretly trying to invade ZANU PF and government structures on the guise of mending bi-lateral ties with Zimbabwe” (ZBC, 19/9, 8pm).
Gumbo claimed that under the alleged plot “Western imperialist forces are pretending to be willing” to assist Zimbabwe overcome socio-economic and political problems it is currently facing, “yet their hidden agenda is to cause confusion”.
Instead of asking Gumbo to substantiate his claims, ZBC reporter Tendai Munengwa appeared to agree with him by alleging that the West adopted this strategy “after realizing that the initiative to use the MDC-T to effect regime change has failed”.
The remaining stories were based on similar claims by other senior ZANU officials such as Didymus Mutasa and pro-ZANU PF ‘commentators’ such as Jonathan Moyo and Christopher Mutsvangwa, warning Zimbabweans about neo-colonialism (ZBC, 19, 20 & 23/9, 8pm).

HUMAN RIGHS ISSUES
THE spread of violence in Harare’s Central Business District and its suburbs was a major cause for concern among civic organizations and the private electronic media this week.
A shadowy ZANU PF militia group, Chipangano, reportedly spearheaded the violence (Studio 20 & 21/9).
The highlight of Chipangano’s violence was its attack on commuter omnibus operators at a terminus located at the doorstep of Harare Central Police Station.
The private electronic media reported the violence as having broken out after commuter omnibus operators resisted its attempts to take over the terminus and reported Home Affairs Co-Minister Theresa Makone and civil society groups expressing concern over Chipangano’s “criminal activities” and the police’s reluctance to take action (Studio 7, 20/9).
This incident was among the six incidents of rights violations the private electronic media recorded.
As is now usual, ZBC turned a blind eye to them.
They included:
• The alleged banning of the activities of civil society organizations in Matabeleland North by the police (SW Radio Africa, 19/9).
• Assault of MDC-N youths by soldiers for distributing party fliers close to the State House in Bulawayo (SW Radio Africa, 19/9), and
• Arrest of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) members in Bulawayo for holding a demonstration to commemorate International Peace Day (SW Radio Africa, 21/9).

2. Print media summary

ZANU PF disowns Chipangano
ATTACKS on commuter omnibus operators and other members of the public by the ZANU PF-affiliated Chipangano group in Harare’s Central Business District also made headlines in the private papers.
These papers reported this notorious Mbare-based gang as having invaded almost all council properties, such as car parks, ranks, markets and open spaces meant for council projects to enrich itself (NewsDay and Daily News, 20/9).
The government papers initially ignored this incident, which left one person injured, only reporting it a day later (The Herald, 21/9).
Even then, its report was only in the context of exonerating ZANU PF. The Herald (21/9) downplayed the incident, which it described as “skirmishes” between “a group of assailants” and commuter omnibus crews.
Apart from this, The Herald (21/9) passively reported ZANU PF denying the involvement of its supporters in the fracas. It quoted ZANU PF provincial chairman Amos Midzi describing such reports as “false” and meant to “tarnish” his party’s image, and instead, accused the MDC-T of causing the violence.
Midzi added that it was a “known fact that each time that our President…travels abroad to participate in international forums, issues are cooked up or raised…to embarrass the person of our leader”.
These sentiments were echoed by ZANU PF Harare provincial youth chairman Jimu Kunaka (The Herald, 21/9).
Although the private Press also quoted ZANU PF distancing itself from the violence, which resulted in the arrest of eight youths, it insisted that the party was responsible on the strength of testimonies by eyewitnesses, particularly rank marshals (NewsDay and Daily News, 20 & 21/9).
These media also criticized the police for taking their time to quell the violence, arguing that such behaviour was an indication of the breakdown of the rule of law and that the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) was partisan.

RIGHTS ABUSES
CLASHES between ZANU PF supporters and commuter omnibus crews on the doorstep of Harare Central Police Station were among six incidents of rights violations the print media carried.
Five of them appeared in the private Press, while the remaining two featured in both.
They included:
• Reports of fresh farm invasions in Esigodhini (Chronicle, 23/9).
• Harassment of Karoi residents by ZANU PF supporters (The Zimbabwean, 22/9), and
• Alleged threats on Chimanimani residents by senior army official Colonel Charles Muresherwa for reading privately owned newspapers (The Zimbabwean, 22/9).