MIC Lashes Out At Media Organizations
MISA, MMPZ, ZUJ Under Fire For Being Unpatriotic And Organizing Clandestine Meetings
Reporting by the Herald
(Harare)
THE Media and Information Commission (MIC) last Thursday lambasted local media representative organisations for their mercenary attitude in which they make anti-Government statements to their foreign donors, portraying themselves as political victims in order to get funding.
The organisations, said the commission, speak completely different language when engaging the State.
In a statement yesterday, MIC slammed Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa), Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ) and Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) for portraying themselves to their foreign donors as "regime change activists" who would repeal both the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and the Public Order and Security Act (Posa).
The three organisations, said MIC, would seek funding for the repeal of these laws and clandestinely convene conferences under the guise of media law reform.
This week, the three organisations allegedly misrepresented to Government about the nature and purpose of a conference they intend to hold today at St Lucia Park.
MIC, which had also been invited, said it had since established that the workshop was a "foreign-sponsored propaganda exercise" disguised as a Zimbabwean media law reform workshop.
Yesterday, MIC said the real purpose of today's workshop, organised by Media Alliance of Zimbabwe (MAZ) was not for media law reform as they claimed since it deliberately excluded key stakeholders like the Ministry of Information and Publicity and the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.
"The real purpose of the media law reform workshop is to create a stilted platform from which the activists may engage in an orgy of anti-Zimbabwe diatribe intended to coincide with other recently staged events," said MIC.
The MIC accused the organisation of misleading it into believing that it had invited the acting Minister of Information and Publicity, Cde Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana, for a keynote address when the Minister or the ministry's Secretary, Cde George Charamba, knew nothing about such a workshop.
"Journalists are supposed to be professionals who have sworn to the duty to inform the public accurately and honestly. It is disgusting to see people claiming to be their leaders becoming the frontline for foreign sponsored deceit.
"The three organisations make noise about AIPPA and Posa but when challenged by the Government to justify their criticism, they say there was nothing wrong with the laws other than how they had been implemented," said the MIC.
The commission accused the convenors of the conference to be held at St Lucia Park of making several misrepresentations in their invitation letter.

When contacted for comment last night, ZUJ president Mathew Takaona said his organisation was not involved in any clandestine activities as alleged by MIC.
He said the purpose of the workshop was to reflect on media laws.

"ZUJ is not involved in any clandestine activities and as a union, we would not be bothered by these allegations.
"It is not fair for some people to have the monopoly to define what is patriotism because as ZUJ we are a patriotic union and would continue to engage Government to improve the lives of our members some of whom are suffering as they are out of employment," said Takaona.
No comment could be obtained from MISA.
Moles At MISA-Zimbabwe
Meanwhile New.Zimbabwe.com: reports that the MISA-Zimbabwe Chairman, Thomas Deve was asked to step down over allegations that there is a mole within the organization, who works for the CIO and is a close friend of information Permanent Secretary George Charamba.

The UK based news website, had previously reported that, Charamba’s now estranged wife Rudo, accused Charamba of hunting for women together with a unnamed MISA official who was recruited to join the CIO at the same time as Mugabe spokesman when they were still students at the University of Zimbabwe.

New Zimbabwe says it knows who the official is but is withholding the name.

However the ZimJournalists Arise Team believes that this a vary serious issue and that official should be NAMED and SHAMED.

For a long time, the Mugabe regime has used moles and infiltrators to destroy any voices of democracy, the MDC, the ZCTU, the churches etc have all been casualties of these underground below the belt tactics.

The team respects New Zimbabwe.com, which has become a must-read on Zimbawean news and we feel that if the website has its facts and stands by its story, this official should be NAMED and SHAMED. A number of people have been exposed before on the website, whats the difference now, particularly when it affects the journalism fraternity.

The plight of the Zimbabwean Journalist is well-known and documented and protecting the names of those among our midst who have changed our lives, usually for the worset perhaps including the editor of New Zimbabwe himself, we think is a great disservice to the Zimbabwean media. Exposing this person would be the honorable thing to do and a great service to the journalism fraternity and the country at large.

A number of people have been exposed before on New Zimbabwe.com and I am sure, it will do likewise with this official.

So Mr Mathuthu Who Dunnit?????
(This letter has been sent to the editor of New Zimbabwe.com and will be sent to various other Zimbabwean media.