HARARE - The signs for the independent media — and the Daily News in particular — as Zimbabwe prepares for a referendum on the proposed new constitution later this year, as well as the much-anticipated national elections in 2013, are not good.

In addition to now having to contend with a new and patently undesirable press regulatory body, the Zimbabwe Media Council, the enemies of the country’s emerging democracy are also throwing everything at their disposal at the independent media — in a desperate bid to silence us.

These futile and anti-democracy attempts are coming in all forms, shapes and sizes — from vexatious litigations to ridiculously high lawsuits and outright barbaric threats.

We take these machinations very seriously given our history and real nasty experiences — which culminated in the Daily News being shut down unjustly and maliciously for nearly a decade by President Robert Mugabe’s government.

While we are prepared to forgive our tormentors, we will never forget the pain that was inflicted on our business, our staff and Zimbabweans at large.

 The Daily News reported in its lead story yesterday, in the latest instalment of its continuing and consistent harassment, that its editor, Stanley Gama, and his deputy, Chris Goko, were detained by police on Monday at the behest of maverick businessman and Zimpapers board member Munyaradzi Kereke, over a story alleging that his family’s disappearance was a hoax.

The arrests, coming exactly nine days after the embattled businessman had threatened to nail the two editors in a barrage of aggressive phone calls and text messages, also came despite the paper consistently running his viewpoints and “rights of reply” in full, including his unfulfilled claims that police were going to publish photos of his missing wife and child on October 1.

After their painful four-hour ordeal at the Harare Central Police Station — only somewhat mitigated by the comforting presence and  defence of leading human rights lawyer Alec Muchadehama — Gama and Goko were only released after signing warned, and cautioned statements, in which they denied Kereke’s criminal defamation charges.

The duo’s crime was to run the riveting story which has been of huge public interest, and which alleged that Kereke’s missing family report was a ruse — seemingly wheeled out to galvanise his claims that his life was in danger from a multiplicity of forces, including Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon Gono and unnamed security agents.

We have one simple message for this petty bully and others of his ilk — we will not be cowed, ever. And it is not personal.

In reporting the serious allegations of rape against him — pursued with fortitude by the commendably gritty Harare lawyer Charles Warara — the Daily News was solely motivated by public interest and our responsibility to be true to the dictates of the Constitution that all of us are equal before the law, no matter how powerful or wealthy we maybe.

For the avoidance of doubt, we re-state our unequivocal position here that the Daily News will always tell it like it is and discharge our duties without fear or favour, even in the face of this kind of adversity.

In this case, we are now even more motivated to do our job and will leave no stone unturned to expose the people who are aiding, encouraging and protecting this (un)guided missile.

All the lowlifes and enemies of our democracy should be guided accordingly. - Staff Writer