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Masvingo-Media groups have condemned the arrest and brief detention of Masvingo Mirror Editor Garikai Mafirakureva, News Editor Simbarashe Mtembo, and the newspaper driver, while near a private school site linked to Masvingo State Minister, Ezra Chadzamira.
The trio were arrested for allegedly tress passing a private property as clampdown on media workers in the line of duty continues in the country unabated.
Masvingo Mirror newspaper confirmed through their X handle that the trio were nabbed by heavily armed state security agents form the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and Central Intelligence Organization (CIO).
“Masvingo Mirror Editor, Garikayi Mafirakureva, , News Editor, Simbarashe Mtembo and driver Tinashe Koga have been arrested by 9 armed CID detectives and 7 CIO operatives led by one Nkala. The trio is detained at Masvingo Central Police Station,” read part of the X post.
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), national chairperson, Passmore Kuzipa, condemned the brief arrests.
“I came across the arrest reports on X and as MISA we condemn the arrest of journalists while doing their work, we urge law enforcers to respect journalists when doing their work we also urged journalists to do their work professionally, we have always made efforts to engage both parties at higher levels to respect each other and work together harmoniously, “Kuzipa said.
Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) President, George Maponga, also said journalists should not be arrested while doing their work.
“Firstly journalist must not be arrested for doing their work and we urge authorities to respect them, in the same vein we urge journalist to conduct themselves professionally and remember that they are not above the law. I had to engage the Minister for their release and they have been released,” he said.
According to the Mirror Journalists they were detained for about 3 hours and were initially charged for trespassing but they argued that the land is under a legal dispute and they were outside the property covering a story of city council burst water pipes that had nothing to do with the property.
The property in dispute is plot 1 in Morningside in the city along the Great Zimbabwe Ruins road. The Minister is embroiled in a bruising dispute after he allegedly grabbed the land from a hapless widow, Frarai Mutsetse following the death of her husband David Mutsetse.
Records from Masvingo city council produced by the widow and her three children in court indicated that they obtained the permission to develop the plot in 2009 under the regional town and country planning Act of 9176 and invested significantly towards the development of the property.
According to the family Chadzamira then claimed ownership of the plot citing government acquisition programmes. The family took legal route to no avail as the province’s most powerful man flexed his political muscle and continued with his construction work at the site.
In 2016 the same Minister caused a stir after he targeted yet another widow, an elderly white woman, Yvonne Goddard and grabbed her Cresta Ibeka farm despite the former owners having bought it under a government to government agreement.
Efforts to get a comment from the Minister Chadzimira and police were futile.
