Zim court jail three SA citizens to six months

Bernet Hasani Sono (34), Resemate Boy Chauke (46) and Simon Maodi, all residents of Johannesburg had pleaded guilty to violating a section of Zimbabwe’s Postal and Telecommunications Act, which prohibit the possession of broadcasting equipment without a license.

Although the law provides for a fine or a prison term for the offence, the court ruled that it had to impose a stiff sentence because there was an increasing number of foreign journalists who were sneaking into the country without accreditation.  

Zimbabwe banned most of Western media organisations from covering its March elections, which saw the ruling party losing its parliamentary majority for the first time since independence to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).  

President Robert Mugabe also came second in the presidential election to MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who however failed to avoid a second round of voting.

Mugabe’s government has reiterated that foreign journalists would be barred from covering the run off election on June 27 after several were arrested after sneaking in the country.

The three South Africans  said  they were employed by a South African company and had been sent to collect the equipment from a factory in the second city of Bulawayo did not know what was in the consignment.

They were  intercepted at police roadblock on 23 May on their way back to South Africa and the equipment as well as the vehicle they were using was forfeited to the State.  

Sono and Musimani were also given a further six weeks in jail for entering the country illegally.

The magistrate, John Masimba said by failing to present themselves to immigration authorities in Beitbridge when they entered the country, the two showed that they were bent on breaking the laws of the country.

“This country is not a banana republic,” said Masimba when passing sentence, “It has laws which must be observed and respected by both its citizens and foreigners.”

Zimbabwe has some of the toughest media laws in the country and journalists are often thrown behind bars for operating without accreditation from a state controlled commission-CAJ News.