Sunday Times fights Mugabe, Nujoma

Sunday Times fights Mugabe, Nujoma

JONATHAN Moyo

• Mugabe, Nujoma to launch paper

• All news is propaganda

• Mahoso threatens to shut down Tribune

• Muleya scoops Commons award

• Mugabe thugs threaten to shoot Independent journalists

• Reporter Muleya attacked

• Mugabe undermining judiciary

By Staff Reporter

THE Sunday Times is fighting an attempt by Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and Namibia's President Sam Nujoma to hijack its name for propaganda purposes.

The newspaper has taken legal steps to fight plans by Mugabe and Nujoma to launch a regional newspaper called the New Sunday Times, widely believed to be a direct challenge to the Sunday Times - which has exposed greed and corruption in Zimbabwe and Namibia, as well as the economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe this week stepped up its efforts to launch the new newspaper. Information Minister Jonathan Moyo, who is leading the media crackdown in the country, is spearheading the project.

Moses Magadza, who is to edit the New Sunday Times, has been dispatched from the state-owned Zimbabwe Newspapers Group (Zimpapers) to Namibia to prepare for the launch.

Sources said Magadza, the assistant editor of the state-run daily The Herald, is in Windhoek to finalise issues on staff, offices, computers, and logistics. So far the paper has only two cars, one for the editor and one for the newsroom.

Dummy editions have already been produced and the paper's masthead is said to be similar to that of the Sunday Times.

But attorneys acting for the Sunday Times have written to the publishers of the new paper in both Namibia and Zimbabwe, warning them that any use of the name New Sunday Times would constitute an infringement of the Sunday Times's rights to the well-known trademark.

The letter was sent to Namibia's New Era Publishing Corporation, which is wholly owned by Nujoma's government, and to Zimpapers. New Era acknowledged receipt of the letter, but there has been no response from Zimbabwe. The Sunday Times is distributed in both countries.

"The Sunday Times is a credible and trustworthy newspaper, and we will not allow Mugabe and Nujoma to hijack its good name without putting up a fight," said Sunday Times editor Mondli Makhanya.

"We will continue to investigate and publish stories of interest to the people of Southern Africa, regardless of the discomfort this may bring to those in power."

It is understood the new paper will be funded by the Zimbabwean and Namibian governments as well as by Zimpapers and New Era.

Moyo has visited Namibia, Zambia and Mozambique to make contact with state-media organisations to counter the "hostile press" - Zimbabwe's independent press; South African papers, in particular the Sunday Times and the Mail & Guardian; and foreign media.

Zimbabwe's government-controlled Sunday Mail this week warned that authorities want to gag the Mail & Guardian for using "unaccredited" journalists and for printing and distributing its editions "clandestinely" in the country.

The government-appointed Media and Information Commission is to probe the Mail & Guardian. Commission chairman Tafataona Mahoso and Moyo have presided over the closures of the Daily News, Daily News on Sunday and the Tribune. - Sunday Times Reporter
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