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REASONS for the Zimbabwe Republic Police’s decision to ban journalists from marching in Harare to mark World Press Freedom day remain shrouded in mystery. The excuse they gave for the last minute reversal of the initial authorisation, that they did not have enough manpower to oversee the march, is as lame as they come. Everything stinks.
What makes the decision such a mampara is not only that these were simple journalists commemorating a day that is special in their dangerous profession and is recognised by the United Nations; it was such a mampara because the Ministry of Media, Information and Broadcasting Services was deeply involved in the proceedings.
This creates a lot of confusion in the populace when one arm of the government doesn’t appear to know what the other is doing. In this case, people would like to know what those who head the police force thought they were doing.
As Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo noted, the decision by the police was — whatever their reasons — patently unconstitutional, ignoble and despicable.
But perhaps what needs to be stressed in this whole fiasco in the apparent misreading of the law by the police. According to the Public Order and Security Act, people are supposed to inform the police if they want to hold a public meeting. Our understanding is that the law does NOT require the police to grant or withhold authority for such a gathering. They are advised for purposes of information so that they provide the basic, necessary logistical support in the likely event that the gathering might threaten life or property.
But the ZRP, in their wisdom, have tended to the most draconian interpretation of this clause to act as if they were being asked to, at the very least, grant authority or at worst, to deny such authority without being required to immediately give an explanation.
We can grant them the benefit of the doubt that given our political experience of the past 15 years of “stay-aways” and “final pushes”, the police have become wary of any public march or gathering. But this was not a political gathering; it was not a rally. These were journalists from whom even the police expect positive coverage, especially given their soiled reputation for corruption and bribe-taking.
More than that, Zimbabwe as a country has earned notoriety for using anachronistic legislation to control the work of journalists. The country has been subjected to unjustified attacks for human rights violations and political violence.
While we know that much of that anger stems from opposition to Zanu-PF’s revolutionary land reform and black economic empowerment policies, the last thing Zimbabwe wants is to court unnecessary and avoidable controversy over a simple public march by journalists to mark a recognised worldwide event.
It is the kind of publicity or attention Zimbabwe can avoid without losing anything by way of principle. This was a march which could very well have gone unremarked had the police not made the overzealous decision to stop it. But having committed the grievous deed, someone must now take the mop to clean our image while the police must rightly get the flak for their irresponsible and irrational decision.
The police have a duty to maintain law and order, but that has to be executed within the ambit of the law with due regard for the constitution and the rights of citizens. They should not give Zimbabwe a bad name without any reasonable justification.
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu