The company, Afromedia, said Thursday that it is registered as a news agency in Zimbabwe. This was after its offices in Belgravia were raided by police on Wednesday as part of investigations into their operations. The police have said the investigations have been prompted by information that the Afromedia group were operating illegally.
Afromedia supplies news content to the UK based A TV channel, which then broadcasts on free-to-air satellite. This news can be picked up in Zimbabwe with a free-to-air satellite decoder and can also be viewed on YouTube.
According to SW Radio Africa’s Harare correspondent, Simon Muchemwa, the police seized some equipment from the Afromedia premises, including a number of the Wiztech satellite decoders. Muchemwa reported that the police are allegedly trying to charge Afromedia with not having the proper paperwork to distribute such equipment.
“This is harassment of the media ahead of elections and it is an attempt to stop people accessing independent media. This is really a censorship move by the police,” Muchemwa said.
A number of journalists who work with Afromedia were arrested but have since been released. It’s understood these reporters will face more questioning on Saturday. – SW Radio Africa News
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