Wilf Mbanga - A profile

Wilf Mbanga is a journalist from Zimbabwe. In 1999 he set up a national daily newspaper, The Daily News, and it became the best selling newspaper in the country. However it was eventually forced into closure in 2003. "Controversial and unconstitutional legislation enacted in Zimbabwe during the past two years has virtually destroyed freedom of the press in the country", Mbanga said.

Mr Mbanga is never one to shirk a challenge: "I cannot let obstacles stop me from going forward..." He is obsessed with news . Indeed he has no hobbies and all he does in his spare time is read newspapers and watch television news. His children know him as 'the newsman'.

A colleague, Linda Christmas, says how disillusioned Mr Mbanga has become by Robert Mugabe (president Zimbabwe): "This is a man who once adored Mugabe and looked to him as a saviour. He is disappointed and he can see what Mugabe is doing to Zimbabwe and is doing something about it", Ms Christmas says.

During his 18 years working for state-run media in Zimbabwe, Mr Mbanga travelled and joked with the Zanu - PF leader. He says he even knew Mugabe's children. But the Mugabe he knew then is not the one he sees now. Colleagues of Mr Mbanga talk of his determination and say his long experience in journalism will make him succeed in his future ventures.

Following the closure of The Daily News, Mbanga now resides in the UK. He is the founder and editor of The Zimbabwean, a newspaper simultaneously published in South Africa and Britain and it is published on a weekly basis. The journalist speaks of his optimism for its success and says an estimatd 3.5m Zimbabwean diaspora will support the publication. "The West Africans have their newspapers and Zimbabweans can do the same as well", he says.

In two years the Zimbabwean authorities have closed down four newspapers. Mr Mbanga hopes The Zimbabwean will not continue this sad pattern. One thing is certain though, Mbanga's newspaper will be a thorn in the side of the Mugabe regime for some time to come.

www.thezimbabwean.co.uk