Information minister Chris Mushohwe repeated his controversial claims last week that the security sector was “sacred” in a veiled threat to the private media.
President Robert Mugabe’s spokesperson George Charamba has also issued similar threats that have been amplified by the State media in chilling fashion.
Mushohwe warned that journalists who preyed into security sector issues were venturing into a crocodile-infested pool.
However, Moyo, a two time Information minister, posted on Twitter that the assertions were wrong as the Constitution ensured that there were no sacred cows.
“It’s wrong to say some sectors are outside media coverage. Nothing is above the Constitution,” Moyo tweeted on Friday.
“It’s the law, stupid! The Constitution is supreme. So no sacred cows,” he added.
Moyo was Information minister when the controversial Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act was crafted.
The law was used to persecute independent media and some critical newspapers were forced to close down.
Moyo has since toned down and after his appointment in 2013, he tried to extend an olive branch to the independent media.
He has also been critical of defamation laws used by the government to silence critical media institutions and has also spoken out against the arrest of journalists.
He was replaced by Mushohwe in a Cabinet reshuffle last year, a move that signalled the government’s renewed onslaught against journalists.
Police recently arrested NewsDay deputy editor Nqaba Matshazi and reporter Xolisani Ncube after the paper reported that Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operatives had been paid bonuses ahead of other government workers.
The government has also been angered by the coverage of the security sector’s involvement in the fluid battle to succeed Mugabe by Zanu PF factions.
Academic Ibbo Mandaza said government’s threats against the private media were meant to silence journalists.
“They just want to intimidate the media and cover up for the shortcomings currently in the State and exacerbated by the succession battles,” he said.
“There are cracks they would never want exposed because they reflect the weaknesses in the state.”
Former Zanu PF official Kudzai Mbudzi, who is now associated with former vice-president Joice Mujuru’s People First movement, said the media had a right to “shine light on the security sector’s misdemeanours”.
“The media should not be harassed, intimidated or arrested for writing stories about military officials dabbling in civilian politics,” he said.
“Mugabe’s administration should instead focus energies on de-politicisation and reform of the State security sector as that is crucial to achieving durable peace, improving governance and aiding democratic consolidation.
“Mugabe in December admitted at the party’s conference that the military were dabbling in Zanu PF politics and for his administration to then threaten journalists for writing about it shows gross disregard and disrespect of the role of the media.”
Mbudzi said Mugabe has for years allowed the security forces to dabble in politics in contravention of the Constitution.
“The military, police, and CIO have no business meddling in civilian politics, and if they so do, journalists have a right to report on such,” he added.