SW Radio Africa (London)
Violet Gonda
23 July 2008
Sunday Mail political editor Munyaradzi Huni and former Herald political editor Caesar Zvayi have become the first journalists to be added to the European Union smart sanctions in Zimbabwe. Zvayi is reported to have left Zimpapers and is now teaching at a university in Botswana.
The two journalists, who are accused of propagating hate speech, are included on an updated list of 37 individuals and 4 'entities' under a visa ban and assets freeze. They are accused of whipping up support during a state sponsored terror campaign during and after the recent controversial elections.
The targeted sanctions, which were tightened by EU foreign ministers on Tuesday include mostly military and police chiefs, and companies linked to the ruling Zanu PF party. This is also the first time that companies and business people have been targeted by the EU.
Robert Mugabe's money man Gideon Gono, self-styled war veteran Joseph Chinotimba, Cricket Zimbabwe boss Peter Chingoka, and Jocelyn Chiwenga a businesswoman and the wife of the Army Commander are included on the updated list. The initial list which was passed in 2002, already had 130 individuals including Mugabe and members of his Cabinet.
The punitive measures come at a time when the main political parties in Zimbabwe have begun efforts to negotiate a power-sharing deal that is expected to end the political crisis. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the tightening of sanctions is designed to reinforce the drive for a transition government to reflect the democratic will of the Zimbabwean people.
There were mixed reactions to the latest sanctions with some people saying they have come at a bad time when the rival parties are taking steps to negotiate. NewZimbabwe editor Mduduzi Mathuthu said: "I think foreign bodies should take their cue from what is happening inside Zimbabwe; instead of taking decisions well outside Zimbabwe ... I think this measure is unhelpful."
Commenting on the targeting of journalists, Mathuthu said: "Yet again I think in the words of South Africa's Foreign Minister - this is a fake issue. The journalists, to my understanding, I doubt they have any ambitions whatsoever of traveling to Europe, I doubt that they have any assets at all that are worth freezing and here we are playing childish politics when a country burns."
However activist Ralph Black said if the restrictive measures against members of the Mugabe regime are to be effective, they have to be broader than they were originally. He said the adding of the two journalists is an interesting phenomenon, saying these are the men who supported the vicious ZANU PF 'propaganda' strategy to stay in power.
Black stated, "I think there is the question of highlighting individuals. To put personal pressure on them and to increase the nuisance factor - the annoyance factor that you can't travel to the EU, and I assume there is also an asset freeze for those that have money outside the country."
Supporters of the smart sanctions say telling the rest of the world to hold off on putting pressure on the regime while the talks are underway would give ZANU PF room to breathe and to rethink. "And we know there are a lot of activities taking place like the transfer of money between officials. ZANU PF has to be kept under pressure until such time that an agreement has been reached," Black said.
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