Faith Zaba, editor of the Zimbabwe Independent, was detained this week after publishing a satirical column that mocked President Emmerson Mnangagwa and referred to Zimbabwe as a "mafia state." 

Press freedom organizations have condemned her arrest, labeling it a blatant assault on freedom of expression and media independence.

Zaba's weekly Muckraker column, titled "When You Become a Mafia State," accused the Mnangagwa administration of being obsessed with retaining power and described Zimbabwe's leadership within SADC as a "trade union of dictators."

 The piece criticized the government for operating with mafia-like impunity, targeting dissent, and undermining democratic norms.

State prosecutors claim the column was "false in material and designed to engender feelings of hostility" toward the president. 

Her bail hearing, initially scheduled for Tuesday, has been postponed to today. 

Zaba's arrest has sparked outrage from media watchdogs, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, Amnesty International, the Southern African Editors' Forum, and the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists.

This incident is part of a troubling trend of media crackdowns in Zimbabwe. 

Earlier this year, journalist Blessed Mhlanga was detained for 73 days, while journalist Hopewell Chin’ono has faced multiple charges. 

In May, Amnesty International reported numerous cases of journalists being arrested across East and Southern Africa. 

In Zimbabwe, three journalists were arrested under the Cyber and Data Protection Act in August and September of last year.