World Refugee Day: exiled journos' struggle continues

At least 85 journalists fled their home countries in the face of attacks, threats and the possibility of imprisonment over the past 12 months, according to a Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) report released late last week.

Africa's shameful record

Africa accounts for 42 cases out of 85, as many African governments continue a merciless crackdown on those who criticise and expose their 'corrupt' policies and abuse of power.

However, some analysts believe the number of journalists who have fled could be higher due to the clandestine methods involved in these operations.

Congolese veteran journalist, author and media analyst Denis Kayenge Kinkufi told Bizcommunity.com yesterday: "I am pretty sure that these media organisations do not have the precise figures about the number of journalists living in exile.

"I suggest that they set up offices in the so-called free countries where many journalists are heading, in countries such as Australia, Canada, South Africa, US and some Europe countries, and urge the exiles to register at those offices in the aim to know the true extent of the problems they faced back home and what challenges they are facing where they currently live."

Kinkufi, who lived in SA for several years, fled to Australia after claiming that the Congolese government sent 'spies' and 'assassins' in Johannesburg to kill him.

"Living in exile and being a foreigner is not child's play," Magu Nyathi, a Zimbabwean journalist based in SA, told Bizcommunity.com.

Harassed for 'anti-government stance'

Nyathi worked previously for Tribune, a private-owned newspaper banned by Mugabe's government in 2002, and later worked for ZimOnline, where she was constantly harassed for what her critics called 'anti-government stance'.

Fleeing Zimbabwe for safety reasons, she settled in SA, where now works for Radio The Voice of the People, as a producer and presenter for the Ndebele Desk.

Radio The Voice of the People, branded by ZANU-PF as a 'pirate station', is based 'somewhere' in SA.

SA last year received more than 220 000 asylum applications, almost the same number as the 27 countries combined of the European Union, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)'s 2009 Global Trends Report released last week.

Close to 150 000 applications are from Zimbabweans, UNHCR pointed out.

Tough being an exiled journalist

It has been established that many foreign journalists are currently living in SA, but Nyathi claims many no longer practise journalism due to reasons such as lack of experience, language barriers, lack of job opportunities and lack of adequate identity documents.

Some of them do menial jobs to survive, including waiters, security guards, gardening and cleaning.

"It is a tough being a exiled journalist," she said, adding that even if one has refugee status, not having an ID means you are a nobody.

"I think exiled journalists need to organise themselves so that they can help each other."

A journalist, who has recently arrived in SA fleeing persecution in his home country, refused to talk to Bizcommunity.com, except to say: "There are spies all over. Our government is capable to send assassins over here to silence me. I fear for the lives of my family back home."