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Media commission refuses to renew newspaper's licence
ZimOnline
January 31, 2007

http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=814

HARARE – The government’s Media and Information Commission (MIC) is refusing to renew the licence of one of Zimbabwe’s biggest business newspapers, The Financial Gazette, demanding the paper first discloses its owners.

Under the government’s tough media laws, newspapers cannot publish unless they have a licence from the MIC, with papers that breach the rule forced to close while their equipment is seized by the police. Newspaper company executives can also be jailed for publishing without permission from the commission.

The Fingaz, as it is also popularly called in the streets of Harare, is believed to be majority-owned by Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon Gono.

But the Fingaz’s main rival, the Zimbabwe Independent, has claimed that the feared state spy Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) - and not Gono – is the controlling shareholder in the paper.

MIC chairman Tafataona Mahoso confirmed that his commission had not renewed the Fingaz’s licence but refused to be drawn to disclose further details.

"It must be known that it is not an automatic renewal, there are things that we look at and get satisfied before granting a licence and we are still looking at their application," Mahoso told ZimOnline. He added: "We are not saying they will get a licence or not."

Newspapers renew their publishing licences after every two years while journalists, who also require licences to practice, must renew theirs after every 12 months.

Fingaz general manager Jacob Chisese confirmed the paper, that is the oldest business and financial paper in the country, was still to receive a new licence from the MIC. Chisese refused to disclose details for confidentiality reasons but he expressed hope that his paper would soon have its licence renewed.

He said: "I can confirm we have not received our licence and we hope to get it as soon as possible like the others. Issues to do with licences are confidential so we cannot just go public over the matter because there are still issues we are clearing (with the MIC)."

But senior journalists at the Fingaz and officials at the MIC suggested that the real reason the paper was being denied a licence had more to do with the vicious battle raging within the ruling ZANU PF party over the succession of President Robert Mugabe.

They said powerful politicians in the ruling party did not trust Gono’s political ambitions and wanted to cripple the Fingaz, fearing the RBZ chief – a blue eyed boy of Mugabe - might in the future want to use the paper to build a platform to position himself to succeed the veteran president.

"All this is part of the succession wars. There are many in ZANU PF who fear Gono could use the paper either to campaign for himself or to back someone not of their liking," said an MIC official, who declined to be named.

ZimOnline was unable to independently confirm these claims either with Gono or the senior ZANU PF politicians said to be after him.

However, Gono has in the past denied harbouring political ambitions. But Gono’s failure to publicly declare whether he owned the Fingaz – even in the face of damaging claims that the CIO controls the paper – has left a huge question mark over who really owns the paper. - ZimOnline

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