THE Zimbabwe Government has detailed files on British journalists and will certainly not be short on information on the media who are travelling to Africa in the hope of covering the England tour of Zimbabwe.

There may have been little uniformity in the Government’s decision-making as to which journalists it intended to welcome into the country and which — initially, at least — it did not. However, it has certainly done its homework.

It is 21 months since British sports writers were last allowed into Zimbabwe. That was for the World Cup and the deal with the ICC was that anyone requesting accreditation should be allowed in. In effect, the Zimbabwe Government had no power of veto.

On arriving in Harare, however, journalists were given a 48-hour window within which they had to present themselves at the Ministry of Information to have their visas certified.

It was at the Ministry that it became clear exactly how much information was on hand. Behind a desk was a man with a cuttings file containing articles from various British titles and journalists. One journalist was subject to detailed questioning about stories that he had written.

That, of course, was the World Cup when the England team failed to pitch up for their date in Harare. As soon as the England team reneged on their match there, phone calls started to be made from the Ministry of Information telling those British journalists who had been given visas that they should now leave.

A week later, another British journalist tried to enter the country for another World Cup match that did not involve England. He was denied a visa and instructed to turn around and get himself on the next plane out.