Daily News lawyers seek registration hearing date

Daily News lawyers seek registration hearing date

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By Lebo Nkatazo

THE Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ) have asked the High Court to set a date for the hearing of their application to be deemed registered.

ANZ, publishers of Zimbabwe's banned biggest selling daily, The Daily News and The Daily News on Sunday, are battling to get their papers back on the news stands.

“We have requested that a date be fixed for the hearing. By next week there would be something,” Modercai Mahlangu the ANZ lawyer said Tuesday.

Asked whether the death of the Minister of Information and Publicity Tichaona Jokonya, who was cited as the first respondent would not affect the proceedings he said: “I don't think so, unless they take a long time without a substantive minister."

The second respondent in the matter, the Media and Information Commission’s term of office has since lapsed.

The government has said it would make new announcements about the MIC's future at the end of the month but Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga hinted that its tenure might be extended, saying MIC chairperson Tafataona Mahoso has so far done an “excellent job”.

Jokonya and Mahoso filed papers opposing the Daily News registration after the courts referred the matter back to the MIC.

Jokonya had said the court had no powers to declare the paper registered.

The two newspapers fell victim to Zimbabwe's tough media laws which require newspapers and journalists to register with the MIC, a body composed of the Information Minister's appointees.

At least four newspapers have been banned since 2003.
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