TRUTH UNDER ATTACK IN MNANGAGWA’S ZIMBABWE

The government in Zimbabwe under Emmerson Mnangagwa now punishes people who speak out. In 2017 he said he was different from Robert Mugabe. He promised change and freedom. Today we see the truth. Things are worse. There is more fear and more arrests. People now keep quiet because they are scared of the state.

Journalist Blessed Mhlanga is one of the latest victims. His job is to ask questions and tell the truth. He interviewed a ZANU PF member, Blessed Geza, who spoke badly about Mnangagwa. That was enough for trouble. Mhlanga was arrested. The state said he wanted to start violence. But he had no gun and no plan for war. He had a microphone. He did his job.

The state used the Criminal Law Act to charge him. They even gave his case to the Counter-Terrorism Unit. A reporter with a camera and pen is now treated like a terrorist. This is not justice. This is fear. It is meant to send a message to all of us. It tells other journalists to stay silent or risk the same fate.

Mhlanga stayed in prison for 72 days. That is more than two months. His arrest was just days before World Press Freedom Day. His bail came three days after that day. This timing is not an accident. The regime wanted to look good to the world. They wanted to pretend they respect press freedom. But they are not sorry. They still punish voices of reason.

When the law is used to punish, people stop trusting the courts. The law becomes a weapon in the hands of the few. It does not protect the weak. It protects power. In a normal country, bail is a simple right. But in Zimbabwe, we celebrate bail like a big win because the system is so cruel.

Mhlanga is out of prison but he is not free. His case is still open. He must still go back to court. He can still be sent back to jail. Other journalists watch and say that if this can happen to him, it can happen to them. That is the goal. They use fear as a tool to control everyone.

Laws like the Patriotic Act and the Peace and Order Act help them do this. These laws are not about peace. They are about control. They choke the voice of the people. They turn truth into a crime and journalism into “terrorism.”

Mnangagwa once needed the media when Mugabe pushed him out. He was happy to use cameras and newspapers when they helped him. Now he attacks them when they ask hard questions. This shows he has no real values. He used the media when it served him and now crushes it when it asks for justice.

So we must be clear. Bail is not freedom. Blessed Mhlanga is still at risk. All of us who speak out are at risk. As long as truth is treated like a threat, Zimbabwe is not free. It is not yet Uhuru.