Zimbabwe: The Zimbabwean issue 24 impounded by Mugabe junta
Zimra has refused to release the consignment of 60,000 copies of the june 19 issue of The Zimbabwe, flown into Harare by a commercial carrier last week for distribution on Thursday. Despite the punitive duty of 40% plus a surcharge of a further 20% levied on "luxury times such as foreign newspapers" having been paid in foreign currency - the authorities in Harare have refused to release the papers.
Zimra has refused to release the consignment of 60,000 copies of the june 19 issue of The Zimbabwe, flown into Harare by a commercial carrier last week for distribution on Thursday. Despite the punitive duty of 40% plus a surcharge of a further 20% levied on “luxury times such as foreign newspapers” having been paid in foreign currency - the authorities in Harare have refused to release the papers.
They told our local distributor that order had come from Zanu (PF) that the newspaper was not to be released. Election observers have been notified but no action has been taken so far. This latest action follows the burning of the truck and its cargo of 60,000 copies of the Zimbabwean on Sunday of 25th May. Since then we have managed to get seven issues of the newspaper into Zimbabwe via various routes and have paid out more than SAR500,000 (SAR15=?1) in duty and R250,000 in transport charges.
Wilf Mbanga
tel 07963963547