A Zimbabwe journalist, who is facing charges for revealing corruption, says African journalists who might find themselves in a similar situation should be strong and resolute in carrying out their journalistic duties despite threats of arrest and even incarceration.
Hopewell Chin’ono says sometimes going to jail, sleeping on hard floors, and being denied access to clean drinking water are some of the sacrifices that journalists must make in their efforts to reveal high-level corruption which, he says, is destroying his country and Africa as a whole.
Chin’ono was first arrested in July this year along with Jacob Ngarivhume, leader of the transform Zimbabwe movement, for calling on Zimbabweans to demonstrate against poor governance. He was released on bail with a condition not to tweet anything that has to do with protest.
He says the real reason for his arrest was because of his investigative reporting which exposed corruption. He says he can tweet if he doesn’t tweet anything that involves violence or massive protests or that undermines or obstructs justice.
Chin’ono says Twitter is widely used by journalists in countries where mostly the government controls both the radio and television. At 49, Chin’ono says best contribution for the next generation is to try and stop or slow down the level of corruption. (VOA)