Zimbabwe warns journalists

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Harare - Zimbabwe's national security minister Didymus Mutasa has warned that "the net will soon close in" on journalists he claims are threatening national security, a state-controlled newspaper reported on Friday.

"It is sad to note that there is a crop of journalists who are selling the country to the enemy by writing falsehoods, with the intention of agitating violence in the country," Mutasa told the Manica Post, which is based in the eastern city of Mutare.

"They should be warned that the net will soon close in on all those involved in these illegal activities," he added.

His comments came days after six trustees of the independent Voice of the People (VOP) radio station were charged under Zimbabwe's tough broadcasting laws. Mutasa said VOP, which broadcasts its programmes into Zimbabwe via shortwave, was operating "illegally."

Undermining security

"These are media houses that are churning out falsehoods on a daily basis about the country and government. We will not sit on our laurels and watch people undermining the country's security," he said.

Zimbabwean authorities have had a testy relationship with the private media for several years.

Shortly after his contested reelection in 2002, President Robert Mugabe signed the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) into law. Under the laws, foreign reporters are barred from working permanently in Zimbabwe, while local journalists must be licensed by a state commission.

Dozens of reporters have been arrested and four private newspapers closed down. Critics have called for the repeal of the laws, but Mugabe's government says they are necessary to protect Zimbabwe against a hostile campaign by Western media.

Mutasa told the Manica Post that reporters were "driven by the love for the United States dollars and British pounds, which they are paid by the foreign media houses to peddle lies."

In a chilling warning, the newspaper said that although some of the journalists used pseudonyms "government had since identified them from their closets." - Sapa-dpa

- SAPA