Zimbabwean Reporter Held as Authorities Pursue Defamation Charges

A Zimbabwean journalist has been detained for a week under controversial charges that press freedom advocates say are being used to punish reporting on corruption and limit critical media coverage. Gideon Madzikatidze, a reporter with the online outlet Bulawayo24, has been in custody since February 18, 2026, after authorities accused him of cyberbullying and broadcasting without a license in connection with an article that alleged bribery by a local business.

Madzikatidze’s continued detention has drawn swift condemnation from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which reiterated its long-standing concerns about the misuse of cybercrime and licensing laws to target independent journalists. Under Zimbabwe’s legal framework, the charges he faces carry potentially severe penalties, with cyberbullying punishable by up to 10 years in prison and unlicensed broadcasting punishable by up to three years. According to the CPJ alert, authorities detained him in Lusaka and have kept him in custody without release pending proceedings tied to the disputed report.

Press freedom organisations argue that the move reflects broader efforts by officials to suppress critical reporting. Zimbabwe has a recent history of journalists facing legal action or detention, including past cases involving broadcasters and editors charged over critical interviews or reporting on political and social issues. Observers say the use of broad statutes, including defamation, cybercrime, and licensing provisions, creates a climate of fear that undermines investigative journalism and civic discourse.

CPJ emphasised that journalism serves the public interest by exposing corruption and holding powerful actors to account, and that criminal charges on such grounds risk stifling the role of the press. The organisation urged Zimbabwean authorities to release Madzikatidze immediately, drop all charges related to his professional reporting, and cease employing regulatory and cybercrime laws as tools of censorship rather than legitimate public protections.

In a region where journalists often face intimidation, legal harassment, and imprisonment for reporting on sensitive issues, the case has resonated with media freedom groups as another example of the persistent challenges confronting independent journalism in Zimbabwe and across Africa.

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Zimbabwe journalist in detention for a week for alleged defamatory report on corruption