My Digital Footprint on President Mugabe

By Brenda Zulu
During the reign of President Robert Mugabe, I travelled to Zimbabwe to process my visa for Switzerland. At the boarder,  Immigration Officers noticed that I was a Journalist and held on to my passport.

They cleared everyone except me because they said they had to run a search on me online to check if I had written negative stories on President Mugabe before they could allow me in the country.

As a Journalist I had written many stories on Zimbabwe.

The bus waited for me to be cleared as surveillance was in process. After they found nothing on me, Immigration Officers gave me a signed ultimatum of  48 hours compliance in Zimbabwe and released me to get on the bus.

All eyes where on me as I boarded the bus because it was delaying. The bus started off for the eight hour journey to Harare were the embassy was based and people wondered why I was made to wait by the Immigration Officers. I told  them it was because I was a Journalist and that there were  certain rules i should follow while in Zimbabwe.

The Immigration Officers instructed me never to write any story whilst in Zimbabwe and asked me to present the signed ultimatum form when exiting  Zimbabwe. For the first time in my travels, i encountered  the negative effect of having Journalist as a profession on the passport.

When I reached the Embassy of Switzerland in Harare, I presented my application for the Visa and also showed them the Ultimatum form that I was given by Immigration Officers.
Immediately, the Embassy Officials priotised my application and I  earned  a multi-entry VISA. My Visa for Switzerland was ready in an hour and immediately I started off for Zambia.

The ultimatum worked to my advantage. My exit was fast and i left the Ultimatum form with the Immigration Officers.