Mugabe turns his fury on journalists

Reporters who write for foreign media will be 'eliminated' says secret CIO memo

A secret memo, emanating from Magnet House in Bulawayo, local office of the feared Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), and seen by me this week, states that 25 local journalists suspected of supplying stories to foreign media will be 'eliminated' by the end of the year.

The three page memo, titled "25 journalists: Enemies of the State",  is written by a CIO officer called Edward Chiromo, and is addressed to CIO director general Happyton Bonyongwe.

Chiromo tells his boss: "Troublesome journalists should be dealt with before the year ends. As per your instructions in June, we have managed to identify 25 Bulawayo based journalists who are corresponding with the international press, particularly South Africa and United Kingdom media.

"The operatives on the ground are set to close in on the journalists soon and eliminate them one by one without fail."

He goes on to say that a climate of fear should be instilled in every journalists, until none will dare send their stories abroad when the elections are held next March.

The memo makes clear that when it uses the word "eliminate" it means kill. Already this year a television cameraman, Edwared Chikomba, is believed to have been murdered by CIO operatives for supplying video clips of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai being beaten to foreign media.

Last week Abel Mustakane, an on-line editor and a noted opponent of the Mugabe regime, who is now based in South Africa, was shot outside his home in Johannesburg.

Amongst the names of the 25 listed in the memo are, surprisingly, ten who work in the state media.  Chiromo says the task of eliminating all 25 will be easy, as "we have their home addresses and we know where each one of them hangs out."

Asked for his reaction to the memo, Information minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said he would have no regrets if "silly journalists are brought to book. We have told you to be patriotic."

I also spoke to one of the journalists on the list. Gerald Dube told me he is not scared. "There have been countless such lists in the past. The best they have managed to do is beat us up. The only thing this list will do is toughen us."

Brave words. Doubtless Dube, a dedicated man, means them. Nevertheless this remains a time, perhaps, to pray for every free-thinking, free-reporting journalist in Zimbabwe.

Comments

[Truth Teller]

You guys are very stupid to have posted this up on here, What Mugabe is doing in Zimbabwe is the best as he will not allow those White trashes gordon brown/g bush all of them called westerners to come back to the country as he swored when he was sworned in 1980, His Opposition should be dealth with, He is busy running outside the country to Hide and they told him he's free to come back at any time and that will swollen his head so when he's elected as President he'll start sharing Power with them, Ridiculous isn't it? and then they'll say they are helping Africa, They build bombs and Nuclear plants to Kill/Destroy while they are trying to take away our african Tradition, They are so stupid, they said we are ONE after they got all they wanted from our Past Fathers and Mothers who Slaved for them bastards and they don't want to stop, they better realize that sooner or late they will fall to there knees to Africa, We don't want to Avenge but take what is rightfully ours, I'm from Nigeria. I know my country is strongly behind Zimbabwe and ready to fight USA/UK/EU/AU/ all of them is they try, I will soak myself in even. Liers/Cowards/Bastards. ksmallsz at hotmail dot com