NMT condemns arrest of Zimbabwean journalists, calls for solidarity

The Namibia Media Trust (NMT) has condemned the arrest of Zimbabwean editor Faith Zaba and journalist Blessed Mhlanga, referring to the situation as an escalating assault on media freedom in Zimbabwe.

Zaba, an editor at Zimbabwe Independent, was arrested this week in contravention of conventional judicial proceedings as part of “a campaign of harassment against voices critical to the current regime”, NMT says.

Zaba was detained on allegations of “undermining the authority of or insulting” president Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Her arrest took place in spite of medical evidence of her ill health and her voluntary presence at a police station.

Mhlanga was detained for 72 days after her arrest in February for “transmitting data messages that incite violence or damage to property”, and faced repeated delays to his hearings.

Mhlanga had just conducted an interview with a war veteran and former senior Zanu-PF official who was critical of Mnangagwa.

“These cases reflect a broader pattern: a state machinery increasingly intolerant of dissent and determined to shut down scrutiny. The arbitrary nature of the arrests, the absence of urgency in judicial proceedings, and the ongoing harassment of AMH journalists have a chilling effect, not just on the individuals directly targeted, but on the entire media ecosystem in Zimbabwe,” NMT executive director Zoé Titus says in a statement issued on Saturday.

Titus warn that arrests such as these not only create a culture of fear but drain the already strained resources of media institutions, limiting their ability to continue operating and fulfilling their role as watchdogs.

“The international community, media watchdogs, and defenders of human rights must speak with one voice in demanding an immediate end to these abuses – and the restoration of a media environment in which journalists can operate freely, safely, and sustainably,” she says.

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