WHEN President Emmerson Mnangagwa took over from his long-time mentor, the late Robert Mugabe in November 2017, one of the noticeable things was his approach to the media, he was more accessible, willing to engage and sought them out at every opportunity to sell his message of hope.
How much media freedom is this government willing to grant?
Advocacy group, Misa Zimbabwe notes that between March 31 and April 15, 2020, when Mnangagwa put the country under lockdown to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak, it has recorded 15 cases of journalists either being assaulted, harassed or arrested while performing their constitutionally guaranteed duties.
In many of those cases, Misa Zimbabwe has gone to court to stop the police and State security agents from violating media freedoms.
Zimbabwe continues to fare badly on how it treats its media, ranked at 126 out of a possible 180 in the 2020 World Press Freedom Index, pretty much where it has been during Mugabe’s time.