Mozambique’s Canal denounces ‘disrespect for press freedom’

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Mozambique’s Canal denounces ‘disrespect for press freedom’

3:28 CAT | 28 Dec 2018

Editor of Mozambique’s Canal de Moçambique Matias Guente has told DW Africa that he suspects political interference in the newspaper’s failure to publish its last edition.

Canal de Moçambique, a weekly newspaper, did not go to print on Wednesday, as usual.

The last edition of 2018, which would elect the “figure of the year”, was not printed because of what Guente called “sabotage” by “part of the only printing company” in Mozambique, which belongs to the State.

As the Canal de Moçambique explains in its online page, “printing should have been made on the Sociedade de Notícias graphics, but the managers of the printing press have allegedly received” superior orders “not to do so”.

DW Africa: What prevented the release of the last edition of the year of the weekly “Canal de Moçambique”?

Matias Guente (MG): The newspaper did not go to the stands for a simple reason, which we interpret as sabotage by the only printing company operating in this country, which is owned by the state. It’s the same graphic that prints every government newspaper. The Canal de Moçambique newspaper, because of the lack of delimitation between commercial activity and political activity and pressure, three years ago decided to start printing the newspaper in South Africa. But in South Africa, the situation [gets] complicated during the month of December because of Christmas and the end of the year, making it impossible to print our edition. However, some time in advance, the Canal de Moçambique e-mailed the printing company Sociedade Notícias to request the printing of a single edition, which would be the last edition of the year. At a meeting, it was agreed that there was absolutely no problem and they thanked us.

DW Africa: So you have not received any justification for not printing the newspaper?

MG: Exactly, until today. However, there are newspapers that are being printed. Please note that our quotation is from the 10th, but there are newspapers that have been seeking the quotation on Friday, I am referring to the 21st, and that they are being printed at this time. Therefore, it is not necessarily a planning problem. By the way, that’s what we anticipated on the 10th.

DW Africa: In the past years, has there ever been a need to resort to other printing companies than that in South Africa because of the festive season problem?

MG: There was never this need, because it was to make an early arrangement. I must tell you that we have tried several times to make a contract with Sociedade Notícias and have never agreed to do it in the way we have proposed, which is why we ended up printing the newspaper in South Africa. It is more expensive and it is more time consuming.

DW Africa: In your opinion, what has happened to the content of the newspaper, because it is the last newspaper of the year, or does it have to do with the fact that it is “Canal de Moçambique”?

MG: It’s a question that we’re going to answer to our readers in a note in the next issue. Let us explain what happened and what is our interpretation of the facts. Because one thing is to ask for a quotation … Another thing is to go to a meeting, ask for a quotation, issue a cheque, make the payment and then the cheque is returned. This is not innocent. So, being Canal de Moçambique, one of the main independent newspapers in this country, we do not dissociate what happened with a whole series of pressure events on the independent press in Mozambique.

DW Africa: Is it to be understood then as a disrespect to freedom of the press?

MG: Absolutely, on our side, yes. Because it does not make any sense from the commercial point of view. We were given no explanation, not even from the political point of view. By the way, I’m saying that the printing company is from the state. It is the printing company who should ensure that all newspapers are printed in this country, because money reverts to the state. Now, when it is the state’s printing company that dismisses amounts, it gets tricky.

Source: DW