Zimbabwe Independent editor Faith Zaba remains jailed over a satirical article. Global media bodies condemn the arrest, demand immediate release, and warn of worsening press freedom in Zimbabwe.
WEBDESK – July 24, 2025: Faith Zaba, Editor of the Zimbabwe Independent and a recipient of the 2022 WAN-IFRA Women in News Leadership award, is spending her second night in police custody after a Harare magistrate postponed her bail hearing on Wednesday to allow prosecutors more time to review her legal team’s submissions concerning her health.
Zaba faces charges linked to a satirical column titled Muckraker, published on June 27. Despite voluntarily submitting a warning and caution statement, authorities have insisted on detaining her.
The arrest has sparked widespread condemnation from media watchdogs and press freedom organizations globally. The World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) issued a strong statement calling for her “immediate and unconditional release” and for all charges to be dropped.
“Instead of arresting journalists and criminalising the profession, Zimbabwean authorities should be doing everything in their power to protect media freedom,” said WAN-IFRA Press Freedom Executive Director Andrew Heslop. “Satire is an essential part of a free press. Democracies must tolerate scrutiny — that’s journalism’s job.”
The Zimbabwe National Editors’ Forum (ZINEF) described Zaba’s arrest as part of an escalating crackdown on media in the country. Zaba’s colleague, journalist Blessed Mhlanga, was only recently released in May after 73 days in detention. Similarly, prominent journalist Hopewell Chin’ono was arrested twice between 2020 and 2021 and held for a total of 44 days.
Long detentions without trial are becoming a method of punishing independent journalists in Zimbabwe, ZINEF warns.
The international journalism community, including local and regional press freedom groups, is watching the outcome of Zaba’s bail hearing, now scheduled to resume on Thursday, July 24.
Team MediaBites has also condemned the “illegal and alarming detention” of Ms. Zaba, calling it a “direct attack on press freedom and an unjust attempt to silence critical voices.” The organization expressed solidarity with Zaba and all journalists under threat, urging immediate international attention to protect journalistic independence in Zimbabwe.
