A warrant of arrest has been issued by a Harare magistrate for the arrest of journalist Blessed Mhlanga after he failed to appear in court today for the continuation of his trial.
His lawyers, Doug Coltart and Chris Mhike, submitted a medical report indicating that Mhlanga is currently outside the country in South Africa seeking medical treatment.
State lawyers objected to the medical report, arguing that there is a need to verify its authenticity. The matter has been postponed to 10 April 2026.
Mhlanga last month made a presentation at the UN Geneva Summit on Human Rights and Democracy in Geneva, where he described the prevailing media environment in Zimbabwe as “oppressive”.
The Zimbabwean journalist is currently on trial at the Harare Magistrates’ Court facing charges of transmitting messages intended to incite public violence. The charges stem from an interview he broadcast last March with the late war veterans’ leader Blessed Geza, who called for the removal of President Emmerson Mnangagwa from office, accusing him of corruption and dementia.
Mhlanga spent 75 days in pre-trial detention before he was granted bail by the Harare High Court in May last year.
He works for HStv under the Alpha Media Holdings media group, which publishes the NewsDay, Zimbabwe Independent and The Standard newspapers.
