FREE BLESSED MHLANGA: JOURNALISM IS NOT A CRIME

Today is day number fifty since Blessed Mhlanga was thrown in jail. He is not a thief. He is not a killer. He is not a fraudster. He is a journalist. That is his only “crime” — reporting the truth in Zimbabwe. And for that, he is locked up in Harare Remand Prison.

This prison is one of the worst in the country. It is dirty. It is crowded. There are diseases. People do not get enough food. The air in the cells is bad. It is not a place fit for anyone, let alone someone who has not even been found guilty in court.

Mhlanga has asked for bail many times. But each time, the court has said no. Bail is when someone is allowed to wait for their trial outside of jail. But in Zimbabwe, they use the courts to punish people even before the trial. That is what they are doing to Mhlanga. They are keeping him in jail as a way to punish him. Not because he is guilty, but because they want to scare other journalists.

They are saying to all reporters, “If you speak out, if you write the truth, this is what will happen to you.” They want everyone to be afraid. They want silence. But silence helps the powerful, not the people.

This is not just about Blessed Mhlanga. This is about freedom. This is about the press. In Zimbabwe, many journalists are afraid. They fear being arrested. They fear being beaten. They fear jail. But without journalists, who will tell the people what is really going on?

Journalists are the eyes and ears of the people. They ask hard questions. They report the truth. They shine a light where there is darkness. But in Zimbabwe, that light is being switched off. Step by step, the government is taking away our freedom.

Zimbabwe is in pain. Prices are going up. Jobs are few. People are poor. Schools are broken. Hospitals have no medicine. But the government does not care. It does not want people to know. So it attacks those who speak.

Since 1980, ZANU PF has ruled Zimbabwe. They once fought for freedom. Now they fight to keep power. They use fear. They use the police. They use the courts. They do not listen to the people. Elections are not free. Voices are silenced. Truth is seen as a threat.

Blessed Mhlanga’s case is proof. He is not a danger to the country. He is just a man with a pen and paper. But the government fears him more than it fears real criminals. That says a lot about where Zimbabwe is today.

He must be released. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Now. He has done nothing wrong. He is a husband. A father. A worker. He is not a criminal. He is a journalist.

The world must speak. Human rights groups must act. Other countries must ask questions. We cannot look away. We cannot pretend it is not happening.

Fifty days is already too long. Every extra day is an injustice. Blessed Mhlanga must go home. He belongs with his family. Not in a dirty, dark prison cell.

In Zimbabwe, the truth should not lead to jail. But today, it does. That is wrong. That must change.

Let the world hear us. Let the people speak. Free Blessed Mhlanga. Journalism is not a crime. Telling the truth is not a crime. But keeping him in jail is.