NEWS RELEASE - THE ZIMBABWEAN ONLINE

The Zimbabwean, the only newspaper available to Zimbabweans
internationally, goes online on Monday at www.thezimbabwean.co.uk.

The publication, which was launched on February 11 with simultaneous
weekly editions in the UK and South Africa, has been hailed as a
major step in bridging the information gap between millions of
Zimbabweans in the diaspora and their troubled homeland. It is also
a vital source of independent and accurate information to Zimbabweans
at home who have been snapping up the 10 000 copies shipped in
weekly from Johannesburg in a matter of hours.

"The website is very user friendly. We have purposely kept it simple,
quick to download and easy to access - specially for people in
Zimbabwe where there is limited bandwidth. We are grateful to the
Guardian Foundation, Guardian Unlimited and Kitsite for technical
assistance and the design," said the publisher Wilf Mbanga.

The entire newspaper will be available on the website free of charge.
"We are indebted to the many people around the world who have
already subscribed to the physical newspaper," said Mbanga. "The
online version is intended to be a complementary information source
and will add value to the print version."

Since its inception The Zimbabwean has attracted much opprobrium from
the authorities in Harare. "All we want to do is inform people
about what's going on so that they, in turn, can make informed
choices," said Mbanga. "We are merely asserting the right of all
Zimbabweans to freedom of expression and access to information."

The tabloid weekly contains news from Zimbabwe as well as life in
exile. The content includes politics, art and culture, business,
sports, gender, human rights and social issues, news backgrounders
and analysis. Letters to the editor and classified advertisements are
key features.

"The Zimbabwean is an authoritative and accurate newspaper of record
and a reliable source of information for all those individuals,
agencies and governments with an interest in Zimbabwe. A news
blackout is dangerous for any society. The forthcoming general
election scheduled for March adds urgency. Our coverage is accurate,
fair and balanced. We endeavour to give all viewpoints, and everyone
- including the government of Zimbabwe - has the right of reply,"
said Mbanga.