Zimbabwe journalist detained for interviewing official critical of Mnangagwa

A prominent Zimbabwean journalist is facing charges of inciting violence after he interviewed a senior ruling party official who demanded that President Emmerson Mnangagwa not extend his term in office.

Blessed Mhlanga, who works for online-based television station Heart and South, was on Tuesday remanded in custody following his arrest the previous day on charges that have alarmed government critics.

Harare Chief Magistrate Farai Gwatima said he will rule on the journalist’s application for bail on Thursday after prosecutors opposed his release pending trial, claiming that he was a flight risk.

Prosecutors said Mr Mhlanga incited violence through his interviews with ruling Zanu-PF central committee member Blessed Geza on January 27 and February 11 where the official condemned President Mnangagwa’s rumoured plans to hang on to power beyond 2028 when his term ends.

A Zanu-PF faction has been pushing for the amendment of Zimbabwe’s constitution to allow the 82-year-old ruler to remain in power until 2030.

Mr Geza and other former fighters in Zimbabwe’s 1970s liberation war have been vocal in their opposition to the controversial plan.

They accuse President Mnangagwa of failing to live up to expectations after his rise to power seven years ago through a coup that toppled longtime ruler Robert Mugabe.  

Police are also seeking the war veterans’ leader, who they say has gone into hiding, and is wanted for inciting violence.

Chris Mhike, Mr Mhlanga’s lawyer, said the charges were trumped up and were an attack on press freedom in Zimbabwe.

“What happened to press freedom in this country? I am pained that I am standing in court defending a journalist’s right to freedom of expression,” Mr Mhike told the magistrate.

“The last point is that the accused did not do this once but twice, yes he didn’t do it twice but many times. It’s his job.

“Whether you agree with what (Mr) Geza said, the public is entitled to hear it. It’s not my client who put these statements to the public.

“I pray that the court makes a finding that the state has failed to find compelling reasons to detain my client.”

Amnesty International called for Mr Mhlanga’s release and the unconditional dropping of all charges against the journalist.

“Authorities must not misuse the justice system to silence journalists and clampdown on freedom of the media,” the international rights group said in a statement.

“Freedom of the media is important in advancing human rights. Responsible reporting on the issues that shape people’s lives is a key building block of any free society.

“Journalism is not a crime, and media practitioners should be able to carry out their work without fear of reprisals.”

The Zimbabwe National Editors Forum said it was alarmed by the journalist’s arrest, which it said was harassment of media workers doing their work “in the public interest.”

President Mnangagwa’s government often deals with critics ruthlessly with several opposition and politicians enduring several months behind bars without trial only to be acquitted by the courts.

Zimbabwe is ranked 116th out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders’ 2024 World Press Freedom Index.

The Zimbabwean ruler is accused of failing to keep his promise to turn the Southern African country into a “new kind of democracy” when he took over from Mr Mugabe after the 2017 coup.