via Zanu PF youths pounce on vendor, tear NewsDay copies – NewsDay Zimbabwe November 5, 2015
A GROUP of Zanu PF youths yesterday pounced on a newspaper vendor and tore 17 copies of NewsDay, accusing the paper of writing negatively about the ruling party.
BY STAFF REPORTER
NewsDay is published by the biggest private newspaper group in the country, Alpha Media Holdings (AMH). AMH are also publishers of The Zimbabwe Independent, Southern Eye and The Standard.
The youths were on their way to the City Sports Centre to attend the launch of a $10 million revolving government fund when they grabbed the copies from Antony Giriya before tearing them.
Zimbabwe Union of Journalists secretary-general Foster Dongozi condemned the continued attack on the media.
“That is a reflection of the intolerance that is being exhibited across the country whether it is by politicians, government or influential people,” he said.
He said the recent attacks on media by politicians were unwarranted because some people would take that as an instruction or greenlight to do whatever they wanted on the media.
“When senior people within an establishment begin to attack journalists, you will build polarisation, a toxic environment. We condemn such actions and urge politicians to speak the language of tolerance, nation-building and not cause mayhem. Politicians need to be responsible because they have people who follow them,” Dongozi said.
COMMENTS
Perhaps these poor unemployed youths were short on paper for rolling their Mbanje, don’t be to hard on them it’s not their fault they are illiterate.
Grace.
Robert?
We should do something about that Daily News vendor.
Our prisons are full.
Compensation as a goodwill gesture.
Oh.
zimbabwe is not in a good place in many many different ways.
its not in a good place economically
political violence is the order of the day
creation of personal wealth has become far more important that the welfare of the nation
the justice system is far from independent
there is widespread abuse of human rights
prison conditions are horrific
property rights are valueless.
it sets records for abuse of the electoral process
and in terms of media freedom, youth can commit the type of crime reported above and be 100% sure that they will not even be reprimanded, but probably congratulated by the ruling party.
zimbabweans need to take responsibility for this country.
they need to think carefully about what kind of society they wish to build.
they need to get rid of all feeling of guilt if their preferred society differs from that proscribed by the ruling party.
they need to recapture and protect the right to speak out and to be heard
they need to defend others who speak out.
they need to defend Itai Dzamara
they need to defend the newspaper vendors.