Barking up the Wrong Tree?

Bestiality rarely appears in the litany of sex ‘scandals’ involving soccer stars, vicars, princesses and politicians typical of tabloid newspapers. Although tabloid-style journalism does not often occur within the predominantly state-controlled press in Zimbabwe, there have been occasions when sensationalist material has appeared. Since Independence in 1980 the main government-owned newspaper group has chiefly been concerned to champion the development needs of a predominantly rural population. The group has also exercised considerable control over the content and nature of reporting and has patently promoted the goals and achievements of the elected government. ¹ Such practice needs to be seen in the context of the military struggle through which the state of Zimbabwe was created and the continued aggression and destabilisation policies of South Africa. Privately owned newspapers and magazines were published throughout this period and during the 1980s became increasingly critical of the government’s policies. In the early 1990s, with the establishment of a more open economy, newspapers and magazines became more competitive in their search for an audience. It is against this backdrop that a leading Sunday newspaper reported an alleged incident of bestiality. ² This initial report became the focus for numerous responses through which the alleged act of bestiality was attacked, often on strongly moralistic grounds. However, the responses from readers and editors established a discourse which not only discriminated against the women who allegedly took part in acts of bestiality, but also was extended cumulatively and through dense intertextuality to Zimbabwean women in general.