Zimbabwe: Central Intelligence Org seizes radios from villagers

The old adage leopards never change their spots was highlighted in Murehwa this week Tuesday when members of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) and police seized donated portable radios from villagers in the Chitowa District. When ZANU PF’s election defeat in March 2008 forced them into a power sharing deal with the two MDC formations, many Zimbabweans believed it would lead to the opening up of democratic space and tolerance for alternative views.

But when civil society organisations this week distributed free portable radios in Murehwa, to improve access to information for marginalised groups, police and CIO’s acting on instructions from above swooped to seize them from the villagers.

The excuse offered by Chief Superintendent Matsikasimbe, who is responsible for the district, was that they wanted to establish the type of radios, reasons for their distribution and whether they had been cleared by customs officials.

Only last month heavily armed police details in Gweru raided the offices of the Democratic Councils Forum in search of radios and so called subversive documents. They arrested Cleopas Shiri who is the organisation’s training coordinator and took with them 862 radios that were meant for distribution.
Under the dubious justification used by the police is a sustained war by Mugabe’s regime to fight independent radio stations that broadcast on shortwave and medium wave from outside the country.

When rural villagers receive donated radios it means greater access to alternative sources of information.
Philip Pasirayi from the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition told SW Radio Africa on Friday that they were distributing radios while encouraging people to form community listening clubs. This he said would help to widen the audience listening to other broadcasts that are an alternative to the state produced propaganda.

Despite licensing several daily and weekly independent newspapers, Mugabe’s regime is only too aware their reach is limited in terms of the cost of buying a paper and general circulation figures. They however remain reluctant to licence independent radio stations because of their wider reach especially in rural areas.

- October 29, 2010 by Lance Guma

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Source:http://www.swradioafrica.com/News291010/CIO291010.htm (accessed on 01.11.10)