Tendai Ruben Mbofana
Once again, it has demonstrated its growing intolerance for dissent and freedom of expression—this time by arresting Zimbabwe Independent editor Faith Zaba.
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Her so-called crime?
Overseeing the publication of a satirical column that dared poke fun at President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the country’s assumption of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) chairmanship.
The piece in question, part of the paper’s Muckracker column, described the regional bloc as a “trade union of dictators.”
That, apparently, was too much for the authorities to stomach.
Zaba was detained overnight on 1 July by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), who claimed she had violated a law prohibiting the “undermining of the authority of or insulting the President.”
This charge, vague and open to abuse, has often been weaponized to punish those who question power.
Even more disturbing is the fact that Zaba was denied her liberty despite serious medical illness—an act that smacks of cruelty and vindictiveness, not justice.
What is most perplexing is how satire—one of the most universally accepted forms of political commentary in democratic societies—is now criminalized in Zimbabwe.
The column raised no new or shocking allegations.
In fact, it merely echoed sentiments that have long been expressed by citizens across various platforms.
So why target Faith Zaba—and why now?
Is this not yet another sign of a paranoid and insecure regime, constantly looking over its shoulder, terrified of even the mildest form of mockery?
This case is not an isolated incident, but part of a disturbing pattern.
Just earlier this year, on 25 February, another prominent journalist from the same Alpha Media Holdings stable, Blessed Mhlanga of Heart and Soul television, was arrested after conducting an interview with former ZANU-PF Central Committee member and war veteran Blessed Geza.
In the interview, Geza called for the immediate resignation of President Mnangagwa—an opinion, no matter how provocative, is nonetheless protected in any functioning democracy.
Mhlanga was charged with “transmitting data messages that incite violence or damage to property.”
What followed was a gross miscarriage of justice.
Despite clear constitutional provisions for the presumption of innocence and the right to bail, Mhlanga spent 72 days in detention after being repeatedly denied pre-trial release.
These arrests paint a stark picture of a government not interested in building its legitimacy through performance or public trust, but through fear, suppression, and punishment.
Ironically, it is the regime itself—not the so-called “detractors”—that continues to damage Zimbabwe’s reputation on the global stage.
These are self-inflicted wounds.
In targeting journalists doing their jobs, the state not only undermines press freedom but confirms the very criticisms it seeks to silence: that we are hurtling toward full-blown authoritarianism.
Globally, Zimbabwe’s record on press freedom continues to deteriorate.
According to the 2024 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Zimbabwe now ranks 126 out of 180 countries—a sharp decline that reflects an increasingly hostile environment for independent journalism.
Arrests, intimidation, surveillance, and the misuse of ambiguous laws have become tools of choice in stifling media voices.
And yet, our leaders continue to appear on international platforms, speaking of democratic reform and “open society” values, even as their actions betray the very opposite at home.
But why does this matter?
Why should the average Zimbabwean care when a journalist is thrown in jail over an article or an interview?
The answer lies at the heart of any democratic society.
A free and independent media is not a luxury or a nuisance—it is a cornerstone of democratic governance.
The media plays a critical role in informing citizens, exposing wrongdoing, amplifying marginalised voices, and holding the powerful to account.
When the media is silenced, societies don’t just become uninformed—they become misinformed, manipulated, and vulnerable to abuse by those who operate in the dark.
An attack on journalists is an attack on truth, on public discourse, and on the citizens’ right to know what is being done in their name.
When a government turns its wrath on reporters and editors, it says more about that government’s fragility than it does about the journalists themselves.
It reveals a regime afraid of scrutiny, allergic to criticism, and incapable of confronting its own shortcomings.
A confident and competent leadership would welcome a robust media, even with its sharpest edges.
It would understand that legitimacy is strengthened—not threatened—by openness and accountability.
Arresting Faith Zaba over satire is, therefore, not just a legal issue; it is a moral and political disgrace.
It is the behaviour of a regime so insecure in its power that it must detain journalists over columns meant to provoke thought, spark debate, or even just provide a moment of laughter in a country burdened by economic collapse and political stagnation.
Is this what we have become—a nation where humour is treated as sedition?
The state may believe that such arrests send a warning to other journalists to fall in line, to self-censor, or to retreat into silence.
But history has shown us that suppressing the truth never works forever.
Journalists are resilient.
Truth has a stubborn way of resurfacing.
And the people—despite fear—will always remember who their real oppressors are.
Instead of persecuting those who report the news, the Mnangagwa administration should focus on fixing the very real problems facing Zimbabweans: the deepening poverty, the collapsing healthcare system, the chronic electricity and water shortages, the deteriorating education system, and the endemic corruption that continues to rob the country of its future.
None of these issues will be resolved by throwing journalists in jail.
If anything, such actions only ensure that those issues remain hidden, unaddressed, and unchallenged.
Faith Zaba’s arrest must be condemned in the strongest terms.
It is a betrayal of the democratic ideals our liberation struggle claimed to stand for.
It is also a slap in the face of every Zimbabwean who still believes in freedom, justice, and the right to speak truth to power.
This is not just about journalism.
It is about the kind of country we are becoming—and the kind of country we still have a chance to be.
- Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/