ZANU PF still reigns supreme

By threatening to revoke Econet Wireless's operating license for providing Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) a platform to communicate with supporters, ZANU PF has just reminded us that it is still in control and that there is still no freedom of speech and association in Zimbabwe, writes Simba Nembaware.

Studio 7 reported last night that Zimbabwe's leading mobile operator, Econet Wireless, has pulled the plug on informational phone messages offered to supporters by the MDC after being obliquely threatened by the government with the withdrawal of its business license.

Disguised as one Nathaniel Manheru, a columnist in the state controlled daily newspaper, President Robert Mugabe's spokesperson spews out ZANU PF line of thought and Econet was on saturday shaken by Manheru's statement that the company's license could be pulled if it continued offering the service.

However the same service is also offered by the other two mobile phone operators; Telecel and NetOne with the latter being a state run enterprise like Herald. Government's dislike of Econet dates back into the late 90s when business mogul Strive Masiwa sought a license to set up what then was the country's first cellular phone network. It was the intervention of the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo that saw the birth of Econet but now that he is gone there seems to be no level headed thinker within ZANU PF's ranks.

Denying Econet and MDC the liberty to communicate and associate further pours water on the efforts of the Southern African Development Committee (SADC) and the global community at large to see the country's government of national unity working.

Private newspapers were recently given licenses to operate again but the existence of the very laws that saw them get banned and their journalists, editors, publishers and lawyers get arrested means things have not changed. It is a screen saver designed to portray a progressive nation yet ZANU PF's unrepentant tendencies are lurking below the surface.