Freelance photojournalist, Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, last week left the country for South Africa with his family after being assaulted by the police and having his car confiscated. Mukwazhi says the police accused him of possessing an ‘improperly registered vehicle.’ Mukwazhi had told MISA-Zimbabwe a few days after the assault that the police accused him of having travelled and covered the opposition MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirayi, in the run up to the March 29 Presidential elections. His maid was also beaten by the police when they broke into his house.

Tsvangirayi informed MISA-Zimbabwe before he left the country that some plain clothes police officers had come to his house on 29 July around 0530hrs, broke down the main door and beat up him and the maid before taking him to Southerton Police station where he was released after a couple of hours without charge. His car was confiscated by the police.

Tsvangirayi said he had made an effort to prove that the vehicle was properly registered by producing its registration papers. He added that the police alerted him that they were aware that he used the vehicle during election time when he followed Morgan Tsvangirayi’s campaign trail.

Tsvangirayi told MISA-Zimbabwe he was concerned about his safety and that of his family. He had also seen his car being driven around the city centre by unknown persons. Mukwazhi told MISA-Zimbabwe the vehicle and assault matter was being handled by Harare lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa. After his assault Mukwazhi had requested MISA-Zimbabwe to hold on to the information until when he has left the country.

Background
This is not the first time that Mukwazhi has beaten and his property confiscated.

In March 2007 his laptop and cameras were destroyed by the police while he was covering a civic society prayer meeting which was violently broken down by the police. His car was also confiscated during that time. MISA-Zimbabwe Legal Officer had to make several representations to have the car released at that time. He was severely beaten and had to seek medical attention.

Mukwazhi was later to be manhandled by Jocelyn Chiwenga who is the wife of Zimbabwe ’s Army Commander after he was confronted in an empty shop taking photos of Morgan Tsvangirayi who was on a tour of shops to assess the impact of the price controls which had just been introduced by the government.

MISA-Zimbabwe sees this latest attack on Tsvangirayi as an indication of the State’s unwillingness to give into the granting of freedom of expression, access to information and freedom of the media, even at this crucial political moment in Zimbabwe ’s life. MISA calls upon all relevant authorities to cease the attacks on journalists and respect their right to operate freely.

MISA