An artist from Bulawayo whose latest work was banned on Monday because it depicts government troops killing villagers in Matabeleland province, is due to face criminal charges next month.

Owen Maseko's exhibition was banned by the Board of Censors this week, after the Home Affairs Ministry announced that the "effigies, words and paintings on the walls portraying the Gukurahundi era as a tribal biased event", was an offence under the Censorship and Entertainment Control Act.

In a government gazette published last Friday, Home Affairs Secretary Melusi Matshiya announced that it was an offence for anyone to show the Gukurahundi material, due to its so-called "obscenity and ethnic bias".

On Tuesday a lawyer said Maseko will now be charged for displaying what the government considers "false statements" that are prejudicial to the state. He is scheduled to be tried in September and if found guilty, he could be fined or imprisoned.

Surprisingly, Home Affairs co-minister Theresa Makone, who shares the portfolio with ZANU PF's Kembo Mohadi, said that she knew nothing about the ban or the fact that Maseko would face charges.

Asked if it was a bad reflection of the coalition government that such a decision could be made without her knowledge, Makone said: "This is what I don't follow. Now I'll have to call him in (the home affairs secretary) and find out exactly what this is and how it happened that I end up being answerable for something I am not aware of."

Makone told SW Radio Africa on Wednesday that on a personal level she was not in favour of suppressing information which is public anyway. She added: "Now that I know about it I'm actually going to speak to the secretary and find out which law this is that he is applying because I am not aware of this."

"I've only recently moved into this particular ministry. I would not be genuine if I said that I know everything that happens, but there is nothing that has happened that is similar to what I am looking at right now, said the Minister.

The MDC-T constitution promotes the advancement of human rights and a government that holds in high esteem the principles of freedom and good governance. And the ban on Maseko's art comes at a time when the ruling "coalition government" is supposed to be making efforts to open up the democratic space in Zimbabwe.

On Tuesday Maseko confirmed to SW Radio Africa that he would fight the ban on his work and the Zimbabwe chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa released a statement condemning the ban and urging government to revise media laws.

The statement read: "This ban does not only mirror the lingering paranoia of free flowing information that reflects badly on some arms of government, but also demonstrates the need for extensive media law reforms that go beyond the much publicised repressive laws such as AIPPA, broadcasting and criminal defamation laws."

Linking the ban to the national healing programme that is supposed to be in progress, the MISA statement said: "In banning media or artistic expression of the Gukurahundi atrocities the government is simply trying to suppress unpleasant elements of Zimbabwe's history that should be openly debated, among other issues, if the much touted national healing programme is to bear meaningful results."

To ensure that Mrs. Makone is kept up to date with what is happening in her ministry, we're adding her to our news mailing list (at her request).