Derision at Mugabe newspaper plan

The state-run Herald is seen as a government mouthpiece

The launch by Zimbabwe and Namibia of a new "African" paper has been slammed as "a waste of money" and "propaganda".

The paper, to be launched on 1 July, will be "written from an African perspective," featuring articles from existing state-run newspapers.

The regional allies say the New Sunday Times, to be distributed across southern Africa, is needed to counter the "threat from the global media."

But one media executive told BBC News Online the idea was "just stupid".

Namibia President Sam Nujoma is one of Robert Mugabe's strongest backers.

At the weekend, Mr Nujoma said Namibia would protect Zimbabwe if it was attacked by western powers.

Business failure

Herald Assistant Editor Moses Magadza will be seconded as editor of The New Sunday Times, based in Namibia.

The state-run Herald is widely see as a mouthpiece for Mr Mugabe's government.

We suspect it is the interests of the government, not the people, that they want to protect Guguletho Moyo Media Institute of Southern Africa

The paper will feature articles from The Herald publishers Zimpapers and its Namibian equivalent New Era.

"I don't see how readers and advertisers can sustain Mugabe and Nujoma's propaganda tool," a Namibian journalist told South Africa's Cape Times newspaper.

Justice Malala editor of South Africa's ThisDay newspaper told BBC News Online that as a business venture, it was doomed to failure because there was already such strong competition.

"As a political idea, it is preposterous, ridiculous and stupid in the extreme," he said.

"They say they will be writing from an African perspective - I find that deeply insulting," Mr Malala said, whose Nigerian-owned paper is highly critical of Mr Mugabe's government.

'Negative image'

"The money would be better spent elsewhere," said Guguletho Moyo from the Media Institute of Southern Africa, Misa, as it is a very costly exercise.

"It's disturbing to see governments investing public resources to compete against private media houses," she told BBC News Online.

"The majority of journalists already working in the region are Africans, writing from an African perspective.

"We suspect it is the interests of the government, not the people, that they want to protect," she said.

The Zimbabwe government has long blamed the international media for giving the country a "negative image".