The National Press Club in Pretoria on Friday "strongly condemned" the reported assault and detention of Al-Jazeera journalists in Zimbabwe this week.

"It once again shows the Zimbabwean government's total disregard for the media. The actions of the authorities are outrageous," said chairperson Yusuf Abramjee.

Reporters Without Borders said cameraman Austin Gundani and reporter Haru Mutasa were assaulted and held for three hours on 20 October.

"Gundani had been filming the arrival of Zimbabwean ministers at the offices of President (Robert) Mugabe when he was brutally arrested," Reporters Without Borders said in a statement.

"The two journalists were then locked up in a cell and interrogated."

Abramjee said the "ongoing intimidation of the media must stop immediately".

The transitional government in Zimbabwe should keep its promise to relax harsh media laws in the country and invite the international media back. "We are waiting," said Abramjee.

Al-Jazeera executive director in Johannesburg, Thembisa Fakude, said the journalists had since been released.

"They were detained for a while and later released. But this was the first arrest since the formation of the unity government," said Fakude, adding that its journalists had been arrested in Zimbabwe before.

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