05/07/2025
Statement on the Arrests of Faith Zaba and Blessed Mhlanga: An Escalating Assault on Media Freedom in Zimbabwe
WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA: The recent arrest and brief detention of Faith Zaba, editor of the Zimbabwe Independent, just weeks after the prolonged incarceration of Blessed Dhara Mhlanga, producer and host at Heart and Soul Broadcasting Services, signals a deepening crisis for media freedom in Zimbabwe.
Both journalists, affiliated with Alpha Media Holdings (AMH), have become the latest targets in an alarming campaign of harassment and repression aimed at silencing critical voices.
Zaba was arbitrarily detained overnight at Harare Central Police Station before being moved to Chikurubi Remand Centre on allegations of “undermining the authority of or insulting the President,” following the publication of the latest Muckraker column. Not only was her arrest executed despite her voluntary appearance at the police station, but authorities also ignored medical evidence attesting to her ill health. This blatant disregard for due process and fundamental rights reflects the growing weaponisation of the law against independent journalism.
Even more disturbing is the earlier case of Blessed Mhlanga, who was arrested on February 24 and charged with “transmitting data messages that incite violence or damage to property.” His real “offence,” it appears, was conducting an interview with a war veteran and former senior ZANU-PF official who was critical of President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Mhlanga was detained for an unconscionable 72 days, with repeated delays to his hearings - underscoring a deliberate attempt to punish and exhaust him through the legal system rather than to pursue justice.
These cases reflect a broader pattern: a state machinery increasingly intolerant of dissent and determined to shut down scrutiny. The arbitrary nature of the arrests, the absence of urgency in judicial proceedings, and the ongoing harassment of AMH journalists have a chilling effect not just on the individuals directly targeted but on the entire media ecosystem in Zimbabwe.
Importantly, this legal onslaught is not merely punitive - it is strategically disruptive. It diverts editorial focus, drains financial and human resources, and pushes media institutions like Alpha Media Holdings into operational distress. In an already fragile media economy, such sustained state pressure directly undermines media viability - weakening the capacity of independent outlets to function, retain staff, attract advertising, or fulfil their watchdog role. Criminalising journalism in this way is tantamount to dismantling the very infrastructure that supports a free press.
This is not simply an isolated attack on one media house. It is part of a broader attempt to criminalise critical journalism, intimidate newsrooms, and establish a dangerous precedent where media freedom is systematically dismantled through judicial and economic means.
In the face of such repression, solidarity with Zaba, Mhlanga, and all Zimbabwean journalists is imperative. The international community, media watchdogs, and defenders of human rights must speak with one voice in demanding an immediate end to these abuses - and the restoration of a media environment in which journalists can operate freely, safely, and sustainably.
Zoé Titus
Executive Director
Media inquiries: [email protected]
Committee to Protect Journalists IPPR Namibia Delegation of the European Union to Namibia Journalism South Africa DW Akademie MiLLi - Media and Information Literacy Learning Initiative Media Foundation for West Africa(MFWA) Ministry of Information and Communication Technology - Republic of Namibia Unesco Namibia UNESCO Nigel Kabila Nyamutumbu Namibia Institute for Democracy Trevor Ncube
