Daily News targets SA web return

The paper says the media law restricts free speech

The Zimbabwe newspaper shut down last month is planning to relaunch an online version from neighbouring South Africa.

The Daily News has switched to a South African domain but is only publishing a readers forum.

"We're hoping to start updating news from early next week," Daily News director of corporate affairs Gugulethu Moyo told BBC News Online.

Zimbabwe's only privately-owned daily paper was closed for not having a licence under a tough media law.

Highly critical

The Daily News is appealing against the decision not to grant it a licence and is asking the Supreme Court to declare the law unconstitutional.

Until the legal position changes, the Daily News is only planning to publish online, even though less than 1% of Zimbabweans have access to the internet, Ms Moyo said.

"We are hoping to be back on the streets of Zimbabwe soon - that's where we want to be."

Journalists' fears

For the time-being, the editorial team will be split between South Africa and Zimbabwe, she said.

The Daily News was highly critical of President Robert Mugabe, in stark contrast to the state-owned media, which are seen as government mouthpieces.

Under media laws, introduced after President Mugabe's disputed election win in 2002, all newspapers and journalists must be registered with a state-appointed media commission.

The Daily News only applied some eight and a half months after the expiry of the deadline for registration, after riot police sealed off its offices.

It said the media law was designed to stifle the press and initially refused to apply for accreditation.

The commission ruled that the Daily News had been operating illegally and had also failed to supply the commission with free copies of the paper, as required under the new media law, it said.

Meanwhile, President Mugabe has signed a new version of the law after the Supreme Court ruled that making criminals of journalists who publish falsehoods contravened the right to freedom of expression.

It is now a crime to publish falsehoods "intentionally or recklessly".