On September 15, 2008, the cellphone networks were so jammed, I couldn't reach any of my friends in Zimbabwe or abroad to share the news that I was covering first hand. What a day in the history of our country! After months of anticipation, the political deal was signed.
Media coverage pouring out of Zimbabwe lately concentrates on high level sanctions, the soaring inflation rate, ongoing negotiations between the government and opposition –- and also political violence. It has become evident to the world since the March general election that those who voice their opposition to the ruling party put their lives in jeopardy. In a closed society like Zimbabwe, it is nearly impossible to educate people of the truth.
Practicing journalism in Zimbabwe has become a crime punishable by death.
Last year, my colleague Edward Chikomba learned this the hard way. I still can't believe he's gone -- the jovial spirit, the burly tummy, the camera bag he always wore slung backward over his shoulder. He worked for the country's only TV station, the state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.
Mrs. Plaxeded Mutariswa Ndira was getting her children ready for school a few weeks ago when she heard a scuffle in the bedroom where her husband was still sleeping.
"Some men ordered him out of bed," she says. "He refused, saying he wanted their IDs. He was grabbed naked and shoved into a vehicle that speeded off. My husband was screaming and wrestling."
Pulitzer Center grantees Jeffrey Barbee and Stephanie Hanes document poaching around Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
Pulitzer Center grantee Jeffrey Barbee documents wildlife poaching around Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.
We smell the buffalo before we see him. When we find his massive body, it's clear he has been dead for some time. Nobody has used his meat.
Donate Now
