Today marks fifty painful days since journalist Blessed Mhlanga was thrown into a filthy cell at Harare Remand Prison. He is not locked up because he committed a crime. He is locked up because he told the truth. He is locked up because he did his job. In Zimbabwe, that is now enough to land you in jail. This is not justice. This is fear. This is tyranny.
Mhlanga’s arrest is not about the law. It is about power. It is about silencing a journalist who dared to report on what the regime wants hidden. The prison where he is held is known for its overcrowding and inhumane conditions. It is not a place for any human being, especially someone who has not even been found guilty in a court of law. The cells stink. The food is barely edible. The air is thick with suffering. This is what they have turned into a waiting room for people still legally innocent.
He has asked for bail multiple times. The courts have said no. Over and over again. In a real justice system, bail means someone can wait for trial outside prison. But not in Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe, the courts are weapons. They are used to punish before trial. They are used to teach lessons. The lesson here is clear. Do not write the truth. Do not challenge the powerful. Do not be a journalist who refuses to be silent.
This is not just about Mhlanga. This is about every journalist in Zimbabwe. It is about fear. It is about control. It is about a regime that shakes at the sound of truth. Journalists across the country are watching. They are scared. They wonder if they are next. They wonder if doing their job will mean saying goodbye to their families. But without journalists, there is no truth. Without journalists, there is no light. Without journalists, people are left in the dark.
The government of Zimbabwe has destroyed freedom. Since 1980, ZANU PF has clung to power with iron fists. What started as a liberation movement has become a machine of corruption and abuse. Elections are fake. The economy is broken. People are starving. Jobs are disappearing. Prices keep rising. And the leaders do not care. They live well while the people suffer. And when anyone speaks up, they silence them. That is what they did to Blessed Mhlanga.
This case is a warning. It says no one is safe. It says freedom is a lie. But we cannot let that message win. Mhlanga is not a criminal. He has not stolen. He has not killed. He has not harmed anyone. He picked up a pen and told the truth. For that, they put him in a cage. That is how far we have fallen.
The world must not stay quiet. Human rights groups must raise their voices. Fellow journalists must speak out. Foreign governments must ask questions. Zimbabwe must be held accountable. The press must be free. No country can be free if its people are afraid to speak.
Fifty days is too long. Mhlanga’s children miss him. His wife misses him. His community misses him. He does not belong behind bars. He belongs in a newsroom. He belongs where truth is told. Let him go. Let him live. Let him write.
We must all remember his name. Blessed Mhlanga. And we must all repeat these words until he walks free. Free Blessed Mhlanga. Free the truth.
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