MEDIA IN ZIMBABWE A new law curbing the activities of independent and foreign news media in Zimbabwe has been enacted by the government in March 2002.		Mit einem Sondergesetz hat die Regierung im März 2002 die unabhängige und die ausländische Pressearbeit in Simbabwe drastisch eingeschränkt.
In January, 2001, the printing press of the only private daily newspaper, The Daily News, was bombed hours after Information Minister Jonathan Moyo vowed to silence it as an "enemy of the state". Im Januar 2001 wurde die Druckpresse der "Daily News", der einzigen privaten Tageszeitung Simbabwes, durch eine Bombe zerstört - wenige Stunden nachdem Informationsminister Moyo gesagt hatte, die Zeitung müsse als "Feind des Staates" zum Schweigen gebracht werden.		THE RULES The "Freedom of Information and Right to Privacy Bill" establishes a Statutory Media Commission, which will require all journalists to apply for a one-year renewable licence. Accreditation will be granted by a panel hand-picked by Information Minister Jonathan Moyo. Licences will only be granted if a stringent set of requirements is met, and may be revoked at any time. Foreign journalists may be given permission to work in Zimbabwe for a "limited period," but the law does not stipulate how long that might be. Any journalist found guilty of any offence will face a fine of up to Z$100,000 ($1,875) or two years in jail.

Trevor Ncube's views on Zimbabwe

TREVOR NCUBE:
I don't think there is any way you can exaggerate the brutal killing of 100 people inside three, four months by a regime that is determined to desperately hold on to power. I don't think there is any way you can over-exaggerate the collapse of a currency. As I sit here talking to you, the Zimbabwean dollar to the US is 1 to 800. Two years it was 1 to 18. Thereabouts. Just to show you. You can't exaggerate that. Those are the facts that are on the ground. I think, to answer you question, we've had a regime that has been in power for too long. A regime that has grown accustomed to not being held to account. But a regime, nonetheless, which is still determined to hold onto power. Why hold onto power? To hide some of the crimes that they've committed against humanity. The corruption that has become endemic as far as the Robert Mugabe regime is concerned. They are scared about what will happen to them the day after they are kicked out of power. So they hold on as much as possible to ensure that the skeletons don't fall out of the cupboard.

MONEYWEB:
But when are those skeletons going to come out? How long might it yet take?

TREVOR NCUBE:
It's become difficult. If you'd asked me six months ago, I would have said maybe in six months' time. But the man has evidenced some staying power which is difficult to understand. But I think the blame lies with Zimbabweans who have been rather too patient with him. But I think the situation now, with the starvation that is taking place? When politics of the tummy begins to play, to take a front seat as it were, you never know what will happen.


Trevor Ncubes Ansichten über Simbabwe
und über die Aufgabe seines Medien-Konzerns
(Zusammenfassung)

Ncube beschuldigt die Regierung Mugabe schwerster Vergehen gegen die Menschenrechte. Nach seiner Ansicht fürchten Mugabe und seine Leute, die Macht abzugeben, weil sie dann vor Gericht gestellt werden könnten. Zur selben Zeit glaubt er, dass die Menschen in Simbabwe zu viel Geduld mit Mugabe hatten. Doch der Hunger werde sie zu Aktionen treiben.

Mit der Übernahme des "Mail&Guardian" sieht Ncube die Möglichkeit, für Afrika ein verantwortliches Sprachrohr gegenüber der Welt zu schaffen, das gleichzeitig den Mächtigen auf die Finger sehen soll.