Zimbabwean police stormed the offices of a daily newspaper, and arrested one of it’s journalists last week. Xolisani Ncube of Daily News was arrested on December 2, in connection with an article about a government minister that appeared in the paper last month. Newspaper editor, Stanely Gama handed himself over to the police after being summoned for the same investigation. Police sources said it is likely the pair will be tried for criminal defamation following the article, “Chombo brags about riches”, in which they said Ingatius Chombo had bragged about his wealth.
A Zimbabwean newspaper is facing a defamation suit from a retired colonel. ZANU-PF member Claudius Makova is suing local paper the Masvingo Mirror for USD 100,000 after it published a story referring to Makova’s alleged interests in Bikita Minerals, the country’s sole lithium producer. Makova claimed the defamatory statements lay in references to him as “stupid and greedy,” and said his reputation had been damaged.
A satirical television commercial for the South African-owned Nando’s restaurant group has been axed.
The ad depicted Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s difficulty in coming up with enough dictators to fill a Christmas Party this festive season.
Nando’s International Headquarters decided to pull the advert on Wednesday, after threats to Nando’s staff, customers and suppliers in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare. Musekiwa Kumbula, corporate affairs director for Nando’s biggest shareholder, called the ad “insensitive and in poor taste.” It is still a crime to insult Mugabe in Zimbabwe.
The commerical, called the Last Dictator Standing, shows Mugabe and Muammar Qaddafi having a watergun fight; Mao Zedong and Mugabe singing karaoke; Saddam Hussein and Mugabe making snow angels in the sand, in their boxer shorts; Mugabe and Idi Amin mimicking that front-of-the Titanic “flying” scene aboard a tank; and most improbably of all, Mugabe pushing apartheid defender, ex President P.W. Botha on a swing.
Alas, whether by NATO bombs or natural causes, all of Mugabe’s invitees are now dead. It’s going to be a lonely Christmas. Despite the commercial’s popularity — it went viral on YouTube — Nando’s has withdrawn the commercial, citing physical threats to staff and customers at the Nando’s fanchises inside Zimbabwe.
Youth members of Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party had reportedly begun to protest outside Nando’s chain stores in Harare and elsewhere in the country. On Tuesday, a militant youth group loyal to Mugabe called for a boycott against the chain unless the 60-second commercial was dropped and an apology made to Mugabe, 87, who led Zimbabwe to independence in 1980.
Nando’s responded: “We feel strongly that this is the prudent step to take in a volatile climate and believe that no TV commercial is worth risking the safety of Nando’s staff and customers”.
Police in Zimbabwe have arrested two journalists from the Sunday Standard newspaper: editor Nevanje Madanhire and reporter Patience Nyangove for publishing allegedly “false statements” about the arrest of a government official. The official, Jameson Timba is minister for the Movement for Democratic Change party and was arrested for reportedly calling President Robert Mugabe a liar. Mr Timba’s release was later ordered during a special hearing in the Harare High Court. It is a criminal offence to insult the President under Zimbabwean law. Nyangove and Ramakgapola were charged with “publishing false statements prejudicial to the state” and are due to appear in court tomorrow.
