MISA engages SADC over media regulations and safety
By Dumisani Ndlovu
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Zimbabwe charter on 15
April 2023 met with the SADC Electoral Advisory Commission (SAEC) in
Harare, where the organisation raised concerns on the safety of
journalists, particularly during electoral processes.
Zimbabwe has records of scores of journalists victimised and assaulted
by members of the opposition political parties, ruling party and state
security agents despite formally identifying themselved and producing
their duly constitutionally-accredited Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC)
press card.
MISA Zimbabwe was represented by its national director, Tabani Moyo,
and chairperson of the Trust Fund Board, Cris Chinaka.
The SEAC was represented by its chairperson, Judge Ticheme Dlamini and
his deputy Advocate Notemba Tjipeuja.
“I applaud the you (SADC Electoral Advisory Commission on the progress
made since the 2018 elections, specifically noting the repeal of the
Access to Information and Protection Privacy Act (AIPPA) in 2020 and
the enactment of the Freedom of Information Act,” he said in his
introductory remarks.
MISA Zim National Director, Moyo also mentioned the historic licensing
of the first-ever community radio stations and private commercial
television stations.
He also brought the mission’s attention to the progressive steps
being taken through the post-Cabinet weekly media briefings.
“As MISA we are however, concerned about the previous elections which
marked by increases in attacks against journalists and it is
imperative that measures be put in place to ensure the safety of media
workers during the electoral period,” he said.
One example of the mitigatory interventions that MISA Zimbabwe was
involved in was implementation of the Police Media Action Plan of
December 2017.
“This has seen MISA Zimbabwe and other media support organisations
engaging the police throughout the country in an effort to ensure that
the safety of journalists is prioritised, more so ahead of the 2023
elections,” he added.
Moyo further expressed concern that the media environment in Zimbabwe
continued to deteriorate with the country falling from 128 in the 2017
Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index to 137 in 2022.
“The environment continues to deteriorate,” Moyo cautioned.
He also pointed out that previous observer missions had noted that
coverage of political parties by the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation
(ZBC) was skewed in the ruling Zanu PF’s favour, despite
constitutional provisions for equitable access to the national
broadcaster.
Furthermore, the MISA Zimbabwe delegation highlighted its concerns
with the dual accreditation process that continues to exist, warning
that this could pose a barrier to access to information.
“Journalists are required to register with the Zimbabwe Media
Commission, while they also have to accredit with the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission during elections”
“These registration processes are onerous and could dissuade some
journalists from registering with the electoral management body,” he
said.
Another issue of concern pertains to access to the internet as
happened in 2019 when it was shut down by the government.
Moyo pointed out that access to the internet was expensive and this
could hinder citizen’s access to information and participation in
issues that affect them.
“Surveillance could be on the rise and this could all have stemmed
from the Maputo Summit in 2020, where SADC Heads of State and
Government resolved to take pre-emptive measures against external
interference, the impact of fake news and abuse of social media
particularly in electoral processes,” Moyo said
Since then, the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting
Services Senator Monica Mutsvangwa has warned that the authorities had
set up social media monitoring teams to monitor what people send and
receive on social media.
In March 2020, the now-late army commander, Lieutenant-General Edzai
Chimonyo, said the army would start snooping into private
communications between citizens to “guard against subversion”,
claiming that the use of social media posed a threat to national
security.
The Citizen Lab Toronto had in December 2020, reported Zimbabwe as to
be a customer of Circles, a surveillance firm that reported exploits
weaknesses in the global mobile phone system to snoop on calls, texts,
and the location of phones around the globe.
The authorities also enacted the Cyber and Data Protection Act, which
criminalises defamation and the publication of false information,
despite previous Constitutional Court rulings that this has a chilling
effect on freedom of expression.
The government is also in the process of enacting the Private
Voluntary Organisations Amendment Bill and amending the Criminal Law
(Codification and Reform) Act – two pieces of legislation that could
have far reaching consequences on freedom of association and
expression.
Chinaka said misinformation and disinformation was on the rise and
that media advocacy groups were engaging political organisations in an
effort to mitigate the effects of the disinformation disorders.
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