By 
HARARE, Zimbabwe – On May 6, 2025, journalist Blessed Mhlanga (@bbmhlanga) was granted bail by Justice Gibson Mandaza, ending 72 days of pre-trial detention in a case that has cast a harsh spotlight on Zimbabwe’s deteriorating press freedom. The court set bail at $500, rejecting a proposed $200, and ordered Mhlanga to maintain his current place of residence pending trial. While the decision offers temporary relief for the journalist and his supporters, it underscores the systemic challenges facing Zimbabwe’s media in an environment increasingly hostile to free expression.
Mhlanga, a senior journalist with Heart and Soul TV, was arrested on February 24, 2025, charged with “transmitting data messages that incite violence or damage to property” under Section 164 of Zimbabwe’s Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. The charges relate to interviews he conducted in November 2024 and January 2025 with Blessed Geza, a war veteran and ZANU-PF central committee member, who publicly criticized President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s leadership, alleging nepotism, corruption, and economic mismanagement. The interviews, aired by Heart and Soul TV, were deemed inflammatory by authorities, leading to Mhlanga’s detention.
The case has ignited widespread outrage among press freedom advocates. Amnesty International condemned Mhlanga’s arrest as a “brazen attack on press freedom,” accusing the government of weaponizing the justice system to silence dissenting voices. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) labeled the detention “absolutely shameful,” arguing that Mhlanga was targeted for amplifying a government critic’s perspective. Human Rights Watch further criticized the charges as baseless, pointing to a broader pattern of harassment aimed at stifling independent journalism in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe’s press freedom landscape is among the most restrictive in southern Africa. Ranked 137th out of 180 on the 2022 World Press Freedom Index, the country has seen a steady erosion of media rights under Mnangagwa’s administration. Laws such as the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Amendment Act, known as the Patriot Act, and the Cyber and Data Protection Act contain vague provisions that criminalize actions deemed to “injure national interest” or “incite violence.” These laws have been repeatedly used to intimidate and detain journalists. For example, the Patriot Act allows authorities to penalize journalists for attending meetings suspected of planning “armed intervention,” even if their intent is solely to report.
Mhlanga’s ordeal is part of a troubling trend. In recent years, journalists like Hopewell Chin’ono, arrested multiple times in 2020 and 2021 for exposing corruption, and Jeffrey Moyo, detained in 2021 on immigration-related charges, have faced similar state-sponsored harassment. In February 2024, two journalists were banned from covering government events in Midlands Province, a move seen as an attempt to control media narratives. According to the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), journalists continue to face routine intimidation, prosecution, and physical harassment for reporting on corruption or critiquing government policies.
Despite constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression under Section 61, enforcement remains weak. The government’s use of state institutions police, courts, and security agencies to target journalists has been widely criticized as a strategy to enforce self-censorship. Trevor Ncube, chairman of Alpha Media Holdings, Mhlanga’s employer, condemned the “selective application of the law,” stating, “President Mnangagwa owns the courts… they will do as they please.” The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists echoed this sentiment, warning that such actions are “bad for the profession, bad for the country.”
The international community has called for action. Organizations like Amnesty International and CPJ have urged regional bodies, including the African Union and the Southern African Development Community, to pressure Zimbabwe to uphold press freedom. However, analysts remain skeptical of meaningful change without sustained domestic and international advocacy, given the Mnangagwa administration’s reliance on repressive tactics to maintain control.
Mhlanga’s release on bail marks a small victory for his supporters, who have rallied under hashtags #HappeningNow and #BreakingNews to amplify his case. Yet, with his trial still pending, the journalist remains at risk, and the broader crackdown on Zimbabwe’s media shows no signs of abating. The case serves as a stark reminder of the personal and professional toll faced by journalists in Zimbabwe, where reporting the truth often comes with severe consequences.
For now, Mhlanga is free, but the fight for press freedom in Zimbabwe continues, with advocates warning that without systemic reform, more journalists will face similar fates.
