Zimbabwe: NewsDay reporters barred from Khami Prison

Nkulani Nkabinde and Chrispen Tabvura journalists with the privately owned daily, NewsDay, were on 6 July 2011 reportedly barred from covering an arts festival inside Khami Prison in Bulawayo by prison officials.
 
The officials insisted that the two should first produce an invitation letter to the event.
 
Nkabinde and Tabvura were made to wait in the prison complex’s car park for more than an hour as prison officials went inside to consult their superiors.  “After explaining that we had spoken to the organisers who had even indicated we could come and attend the event, a female prison warder, only identified as Ndlovu, asked that we wait at(sic) the car park while she made inquiries,” said Nkabinde.
 
The journalists left after waiting for more than an hour when no one came with the superiors’ answer.
 
Journalists from the state media, The Chronicle and Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) were allowed to cover the event.
 
The incident comes after reports by NewsDay that journalists from the independent press were barred from covering a meeting on 4 July 2011 between FIFA president Sepp Blatter and President Robert Mugabe at State House.  Journalists from the state media were again reportedly allowed to cover the event.