Zimbabwe media controller laughed at - in court

[dArKeR]

Harare - The head of Zimbabwe's state-controlled media watchdog organisation was subjected to damaging questioning in the high court on Thursday as he tried to justify his decision to ban the Daily News, the country's largest selling and only independent daily newspaper.

Tafataona Mahoso, chairperson of the media and information commission, was laughed at in the administrative court packed with journalists from the now-closed newspaper, drank constantly from a glass of water, let his voice sink to a whisper when asked difficult questions and repeatedly had to be told by the judge to answer questions put to him by the newspaper's lawyers.

The administrative court, a branch of the high court, sat on Thursday to hear the Daily News' appeal against its banning by the commission.

http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/Zimbabwe/0,,2-11-259_1431484,00.html

[dArKeR]

1. Zim judge wonders why The Daily News was banned

A judge hearing an appeal by Zimbabwe's only private daily newspaper, shut down by the government, questioned on Friday why the country's media law was not applied when the paper was refused a licence last month.

Administrative Court Judge Michael Majuru grilled the licensing commission's head Tafataona Mahoso on the criteria used by the commission in deciding to refuse The Daily News registration.

"This is not a case where you can come up with reasons of your own ... it has to be reasons laid down by the law."

"The wording of the act is very clear, it tells you when you can refuse registration," said Majuru.

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=22220