Daily News editor fired

The Daily News returned to newsstands after an absence of more than a week due to editorial and production staff striking for more pay. The strikers were asking for a 150% increase to keep up with Zimbabwe's rocketing inflation rate.

Nyarota says that the paper's managers accused him of trying to undermine their authority by going to private sources for money to give the staff an advance on their salaries for the Christmas holiday.

Deputy editor Davison Maruziva was asked to take over as acting editor, but he refused and also resigned out of loyalty to his former boss.

Nyarota's was one of very few voices in the Zimbabwean media still courageous enough to criticise the Mugabe and his government. His awards include the World Press Freedom prize from UNESCO, the cultural branch of the United Nations. He was arrested and charged several times under the legislation introduced last year that required every media organisation and journalist in Zimbabwe to register with a government commission by the end of December. There is speculation in the independent media that the management of The Daily News feared that as long as Nyarota remained as editor the government would not allow the newspaper to be registered.