Selected Journalists 'only' allowed to attend Tsvangirai's address

Journalists have expressed their frustration after many were blocked from attending a 'public' address by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, comparing the action to ZANU PF's treatment of the media.

Tsvangirai was addressing a 'Zimbabwe Lecture Series Forum' at the Jameson Hotel in Harare on Tuesday night, which was open to the public and the media. But SW Radio Africa correspondent Simon Muchemwa reported on Wednesday that he and most journalists were blocked from entering the venue by security personnel, who claimed there was not enough room.

"But we could see through the doors that there were acres of space. The security weren't even letting people sit on chairs, so the media could easily have occupied the chairs and even the space in front of the podium," Muchemwa explained.

He added that the only media allowed into the venue was a cameraman from South Africa's SABC, a journalist from the Prime Minister's office, a NewsDay reporter and a reporter from the state's mouthpiece, the Herald newspaper.

Muchemwa said that the journalists who were blocked from the venue were angry; "It would appear this was a direct attack on the media itself." He said the journalists expressed their frustration, with some saying; "Whenever there is a crisis, the Prime Minister runs to the independent media, but whenever the Prime Minister feels content in his position, he starts behaving like Robert Mugabe."

The Prime Minister's spokesman, Luke Tamborinyoka, told SW Radio Africa that the incident was "unfortunate," attributing the situation to the large number of people who arrived for the speech. He dismissed claims that it was a deliberate move to block the media, saying "it is in the Prime Minister's best interest to ensure the media are there."

"I don't think this was a deliberate effort by some people. We are not ZANU PF; the Prime Minister is not ZANU PF. They are the people who are popular for making sure information is not available," Tamborinyoka said, adding: "The Prime Minister is a disciple of free speech."

ZANU PF's refusal to allow Zimbabwe's media space to open up, and their ongoing control of the state media, formed part of Tsvangirai's speech on Tuesday, where he marked the two year anniversary of the unity government. Tsvangirai said the coalition was not worth celebrating, blaming ZANU PF for refusing to implement the Global Political Agreement (GPA).

"It is easier to mark the event (two years) of the inclusive government than to celebrate it," Tsvangirai said.

He said Mugabe and ZANU PF's actions have frustrated the progress in the inclusive government, because they act as competitors instead of partners in the coalition government.

"There is increased polarisation in this inclusive government and this has led to delays and deadlocks on implementing even the simplest of reforms," the Prime Minister said. "For ZANU PF, politics has no simple rule, their game plan is to restore power at all costs."

Of the state media, Tsvangirai said they have "become a threat to national security by promoting hate, division and even genocide." He criticised the state media for continuing to vilify the MDC, warning of "the increase in hate speech and unbridled propaganda." Most recently, the national ZBC broadcaster and the Herald newspaper have both reported that the MDC was to blame for a recent upsurge of violence in Harare, despite ZANU PF youths leading the attacks.

These same attacks have also put the police force's partisan nature on display, with the police arresting MDC victims of violence, harassing families displaced by the violence, and refusing to intervene in the ZANU PF led attacks. Tsvangirai said in his speech that the security sector "have failed to adjust to the realities of an inclusive society by refusing to let go of their partisan attitude, which has eroded national confidence at a time when the people want assurance of their security well ahead of the next election."

The Prime Minister also insisted that elections will not be called until "we have achieved the necessary conditions for a free, fair, credible and legitimate election." He also voiced his commitment to getting the country ready for elections, saying that "the main agenda for 2011 is to support the road-map to a free and fair election; a roadmap with clear benchmarks and time lines that will put in place mechanisms to ensure a legitimate and credible poll."