Access to information in the SADC region.
When digesting news about affairs in Zimbabwe at present, the BBC has repeatedly mentioned that it is banned from reporting within Zimbabwean borders, and therefore correspondents have mostly given reports from the Capital city of Johannesberg, in South Africa.
Relays of international news which in the immediate sense call for action by the international community, to be taken are designed to keep leading stories within the public sphere for longer periods of time.
Yet there is no deeper analysis given on the situation in the country and put across more firmly from a political perspective; as to why media agencies, (the BBC among them) are being prohibited from covering stories in such a way.
The socio-economic influence of technology and the flourishing of an assertive media in Zimbabwe in the 1990’s conversely and out of no deliberate action of media agencies within the territory, have seen a reaction come from their government which implements stinging journalistic prohibitations upon a wide cross-section of people’s broader and no less immediate, right to political reply or show consternation.
A statute named the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act 2007 (AIPPA) sharply curtails the functionality of both domestic and international media agencies within Zimbabwe itself.
The Act brings into existence through the legislation, an authorative arbitration body called the Media and Information Commission, possessing powers to give broadcasting agencies certain media accreditations and direct “media worker’s registration available through an application process.
Specifically pointed by an organisation called Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD), a Section 9(4) of the Act has become problematic:
ZIMCODD has stated about Section 9(4) of the AIPPA:
“It refuses access to information if it is in the public interest to do so. The Act is not clear on what public interest means or would entail. As a result a wide variety of circumstances may be described as being in the public interest in a bid to prevent access to information.”
(Quote taken from a downloadable report by a Mr Mzi Memeza entitled: An Analysis of Weakness in Access to Information Laws in SADC and in Developing Countries. The report was prepared by him for the “Access to Information Programme, Freedom of Expression Institute) (FXI).
As a primary weapon of the government and the ruling ZANU-PF, their dictatorial stance and ongoing campaign against every independent media company does certainly hinder most diplomatic efforts remaining open for foreign embassy negotiators to use with success.
For further reading on Zimbabwean politics, ZIMCODD or the AIPPA visit:
URL: www.zimcodd.org
URL: http://www.kubatana.net/html/archive/legisl/030611aippaamd.asp
A List to Regional Parliamentary Assemblies in Africa
Here are a range of intergovernmental web addresses with interconnexions to Member States within Africa. These main page sites provide a wider extent of detail on key political matters in relation to Africa and has accessible Adobe Reader material to download.
- Communaut’e Economique des Etate d’Afrique Centrale (ECCAS):
- Union Economique et Monetaire Quest Africane: www.uemoa.int/
- African Union: www.africa-union.org
- East African Community: www.eac.int/
- Economic Community of West Africa States: www.ecowas.int/
- Economic Community of Western States Parliament: www.parl.ecowas.int/
- East African Legislative Assembly: www.eac.int/eala/index.htm
- Intergovernmental Authority on Development: www.igad.org
- Pan-African Parliament: www.africa-union.org/organs/Pan-African_Parliament.htm
- Southern African Development Community: www.sadc.int
- Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum: www.sadcpf.org/
- Conflict Early Warning Response Mechanism: www.cewarn.org
Equatorial Guinea Punishes Simon Mann
News about prosecutory trials carried out in Africa are scarcely reported at all within Europe without something being relevant and beneficial to the prestige of state institutions, and reminiscent of a country’s sovereign rule over other territories.
The existence of expatriates abroad does provoke controversy to some degree in countries whereby the acceptance of them is already fairly tenuous more generally.
In the case of Simon Mann, a businessman and former commando, he I believe awkardly stands out as someone with many distainful colonial trappings clinging to him.
Extradited to Equatorial Guinea in February 2008 on charges embroilling him in a plot, the story has obtained a leverage worthy of greater attention since allegations surfaced of a certain Mark Thatcher’s involvement (son of former British Prime Minister, Margarot Thatcher).
Very little is known about how the maintenance of this supposed coup does incriminate Mark Thatcher, other than having rumours circulate concerning how the operation was fiananced.
President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has spoken quite vociferously against the actions of Mr Simon Mann and his co-conspirators, suggesting that Mann could easily be regarded a pawn in this circumstance, and evidentially is expected to be granted clemency as an overall result of proceedings.
For information about Equatorial Guinea and related sites about African affairs:
http://www.europarl.eu.int/intcooo/acp/10_01/default_en.htm
