ZIMBABWE TUMBLING ? South Africa’s Media Sensation of Zimbabwe’s Land Reforms and What Must be Done in Post-Mugabe Democracy

Zimbabwe Tumbling ? South Africa’s Media Sensation of Zimbabwe’s Land Reforms and What Must be Done in Post-Mugabe Democracy This paper argues that the level of sensation observed in the South African Media on the political situation in Zimbabwe between 2000- 2008 reflects a deep rooted problem regarding the way forward on the historical national land question and not the bad politics supported by ZANU PF and Robert Mugabe as reflected in headlines such as “Mugabe Must Go”. However, this kind of reporting was to be expected of local South African press which is generally driven by Western ideologies of journalism coupled with genuine incidences of electoral violence in Zimbabwe that make for news that sell. The paper concludes that electoral politics in Zimbabwe are extensively covered by the Weeklies since the subject concerns the struggle for redistributive justice which resonated well with land questions in South Africa and fears of a spillover effects that would complicate immigration politics and homeland security.