World Press Freedom Day. It is exactly in those parts of the world where the freedom of the press is under pressure that this day, celebrated on May 3rd, gets ample attention.
In Southern Africa the celebrations culminated in Pretoria in the presentation of the annual Manyarara Award for the best investigative journalist in Southern Africa. This was the second time MISA awarded the prize.
It had been quite a job to arrange the presentation this year. Several members of the jury were not able to attend. Strikingly, one member had travelled to Manila to accept himself a very high distinction for journalists.
The Manyarara winner, Conrad Nyamutata, presently lives in England. It was impossible for him to come over and accept the award of € 12,000.
For all that, member of the jury, Fred M’Bembe of the Zambian daily, The Post, managed to present the award to a colleague of the winner in the presence of 200 guests, including members of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Dangerous
Nyamutata, though not able to receive the award in person, is ‘delighted’ to have won ‘such an award’. The former Chief Reporter reacts from his present home in the UK: “Apart from being a recognition of my own work, it was a tribute to The Daily News as a newspaper.
| "(...)the search for truth is a democratic pursuit.” |
It is a tribute to truthful reporting which The Daily News has always stood for since it was established about three years ago.”
He points out that the newspaper, its editor and reporters have received several awards for courage, excellence and investigative journalism. ”I hope that the latest award enhances the profile of the Daily News. I hope that the award will inspire journalists in Zimbabwe, particularly from the independent press, to continue to seek the truth despite the dangerous environment they are working in. Because: the search for truth is a democratic pursuit.”
The Zimbabwean reporter regards the award as a pat on the back for all independent media in Zimbabwe. “Against all the odds they have tried to seek the truth, amidst all the hostility they have done their best. In continuing to do so journalists can help the establishment of democracy in Zimbabwe, a process which is floundering at the moment.”
Lackadaisical
“The issues I investigated myself involved the bombing of the opposition MDC offices in Harare nearly two years ago. I discovered that the government secret service - the CIO - and the police were behind the bombing. Through the assistance of a source, I confronted the CIO-agent concerned.
He did not deny committing the act. But what is more worrying, is the fact that despite all the tips we gave to the police to arrest the CIO-man, the police refused. Today, the CIO man is still scot-free. In a way, the award is also an indictment on the police force which is either lackadaisical towards crime or condones it.”
Nyamutata resigned from The Daily in February this year. He is currently living in Leicester, UK, together with his wife. She is a lawyer and exploring opportunities for further study.
He too is looking into the possibilities of pursuing subsequent studies in journalism. “So the award came at the right time,” he concludes happily. “It is unbelievable.” He admits: “Also my wife and family were worried about my security in Zimbabwe, particularly after the CIO agent was left scot-free.”
About the award:
The John Manyarara Award for Investigative Journalism is presented annually. The winner receives 2 000 Euro and a scholarship of 10 000 Euro.
The award is an initiative of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and the NiZA and is a tribute to Justice Manyarara, the founding Chairperson of the MISA Trust Fund Board.
The award was won last year for the first time by Lynne Altenroxel from the South African paper 'The Star', for her exposure of unethical medical practices. Marieke van Twillert is a freelance journalist.
Ruth de Vries is Project Officer of the Media Programme at Niza.
