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Daily Struggles: Private Print Media, the State, And DAILY STRUGGLES: PRIVATE PRINT MEDIA, THE STATE, AND DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE IN ZIMBABWE IN THE CASE OF THE AFRICAN DAILY NEWS (1956-1964) AND THE DAILY NEWS (1999-2003) BY SYLVESTER DOMBO Submitted in fulfilment of the academic requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Social Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal Durban MARCH 2014 ABSTRACT This thesis employs Jurgen Habermas’ theory of public sphere as an analytical tool to consider the role played by two popular private newspapers in the struggle for democracy in Zimbabwe, one case from colonial Rhodesia and the other from the post-colonial era. It argues that, functioning under repressive political regimes and in the absence of credible opposition political parties or as a platform for opposition political parties, the African Daily News, between 1956-1964 and the Daily News, between 1999-2003, played a fundamental role in opening up spaces for political freedom in the country. Each was ultimately shut down by the respective government of the time. The newspapers allowed reading publics the opportunity to participate in politics by providing a daily analytical alternative, to that offered by the government and the state media, in relation to the respective political crises that unfolded in each of these periods. The thesis examines both the information policies pursued by the different governments and the way these affected the functioning of private media in their quest to provide an ‘ideal’ public sphere. It explores issues of ownership, funding and editorial policies in reference to each case and how these affected the production of news and issue coverage. It considers issues of class and geography in shaping public response. The thesis also focuses on state reactions to the activities of these newspapers and how these, in turn, affected the activities of private media actors. Finally, it considers the cases together to consider the meanings of the closing down of these newspapers during the two eras under discussion and contributes to the debates about print media vis-a-vis the new forms of media that have come to the fore. i PREFACE The research findings presented in thesis were carried out in the School of Social Sciences, Howard Campus, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, from March 2011 to March 2014 under the supervision of Dr. Thembisa Waetjen. This study is a product of my original research and has not been submitted to any other tertiary institution. Student Name and Signature Sylvester Dombo 211556061 Date ii DECLARATION This research has not been previously accepted for any degree and is not being currently considered for any other degree at any other university. I declare that this thesis contains my own work except where specifically acknowledged. Signed: Sylvester Dombo Date 11 March 2014 Signed Thembisa Waetjen Date iii DEDICATION In memory of my loving mother Angeline Dombo iv CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................... i PREFACE ............................................................................................................................................... ii DECLARATION ..................................................................................................................................... iii DEDICATION ........................................................................................................................................ iv CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................................. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................................... ix ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................................................................. xi INTRODUCTION: .................................................................................................................................. 1 PRINT MEDIA AND POLITICS IN ZIMBABWE ................................................................................... 1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................. 1 Media and Democracy in Africa ............................................................................................................. 2 The Concept of Democracy in Africa ...................................................................................................... 5 Media, Civil Society, Democratisation and the State in Africa ............................................................ 10 State of Media Research in Zimbabwe .................................................................................................. 12 Theoretical Approaches ........................................................................................................................ 20 Development of the Research ................................................................................................................ 26 Structure of the thesis ............................................................................................................................ 28 CHAPTER ONE .................................................................................................................................... 31 AFRICAN NEWSPAPERS LIMITED AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRIVATE PRESS IN RHODESIA ........................................................................................................................................... 31 Introduction........................................................................................................................................... 31 Phase One: The Missionary Enterprise ................................................................................................ 32 Phase Two: South African Influences ................................................................................................... 40 Phase Three: African Newspapers in Salisbury ................................................................................... 44 Phase Four: African journalists and internal political dynamics at African Newspapers ................... 51 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................ 57 CHAPTER TWO.................................................................................................................................... 58 v ‘FOR AFRICANS, BY AFRICANS?’ THE AFRICAN DAILY NEWS AND ‘ACCEPTABLE’ POLITICS IN SOUTHERN RHODESIA: THE FORMATIVE YEARS 1956-1958. ................................................ 58 Introduction........................................................................................................................................... 58 The Rise of the African Daily News: An Overview ............................................................................... 60 Background: Contextualising Politics in Rhodesia during the Federation .......................................... 74 Class, Press Politics and Contested Notions of the Public ................................................................... 81 Todd’s Attempts to Reform .................................................................................................................... 95 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 100 CHAPTER THREE .............................................................................................................................. 102 DAILY NUISANCE! THE RADICALISATION OF THE AFRICAN DAILY NEWS, 1958-1964 ........ 102 Introduction......................................................................................................................................... 102 Whither the African Daily News? The radicalisation of Politics in Rhodesia and Press Coverage, 1958-1961 ........................................................................................................................................... 103 A Historic Conference? African Daily News, the National Democratic Party and the Constitutional Talks of 1961 ....................................................................................................................................... 113 Party Politics and New Ownership: The making of a radical African Daily News. ........................... 119 Negotiating for Space: African Daily News and its challenges .......................................................... 125 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 135 CHAPTER FOUR ............................................................................................................................... 136 INDEPENDENT MEDIA AND POLITICS IN ZIMBABWE TO 1999 ................................................ 136 Introduction......................................................................................................................................... 136 The Political Economy of the Media in Zimbabwe at Independence .................................................. 137 The Fledgling Independent Media to 1999 ........................................................................................
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