Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Owen Ncube, has banned journalists from The Mirror and NewsDay, which are privately owned, from all government functions in the province.
As reported by The Mirror, Ncube kicked out the publication’s Midlands Bureau Chief, Sydney Mubaiwa, and NewsDay reporter Stephen Chadenga from a meeting organised by the Zimbabwe Gender Commission and ordered them not to attend future government engagements.
The meeting took place at the Minister’s boardroom in Gweru on Wednesday, 28 February, in the morning.
Ncube asked journalists to identify themselves and then singled out the two for representing newspapers that allegedly attacked the Government.
He ordered them to stand up and asked his security aides to escort them out of the meeting. Said Ncube:
Who invited you here? We are building the country and discussing Government business and you are not welcome here. You are not wanted at any other Government function.
The two journalists had been invited by Zimbabwe Gender Commission chairperson Margaret Mukahanana Sangarwe ahead of the official opening of the organization’s Gweru offices.
Zimbabwe Gender Commission officials apologized to the two journalists.
Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) president George Maponga condemned the discrimination of journalists, saying journalism was not a crime. He said:
ZUJ is disturbed by reports of private media journalists being chased away from Government programmes.
We want to make it clear that journalism is not a crime and all accredited journalists have a right to cover all events that are in the public interest.
ZUJ will not accept any attempts to divide the media along private/public media lines.
