We are pleased to announce that the annual report for 2019 is now available.
Below is an excerpt from the Chairperson’s report:
It is regrettable that the year 2019 as happened with the previous years, came and went without fulfilment of the much-anticipated media legislative and policy reforms which have been on the agenda since the inception of the 2013 Constitution.
These reforms, which are not only restricted to the media and information industry but also include wholesale political and economic policy shifts in line with the Constitution, are critical to unlocking both domestic and foreign direct investment.
While the government gazetted the Freedom of Information Bill and the Zimbabwe Media Commission Bill as part of the reform agenda, it is regrettable that the two Bills presented in 2019 were widely criticised as a far cry from meeting the country’s constitutional yardsticks as well as regional and international benchmarks and best practices.
The government’s lethargic, if not lacklustre approach, in implementing genuine democratic reforms thus remained a cause for great concern during the year under review.
This should be viewed on the backdrop of the resuscitation of the repressive Public Order and Security Act (POSA) – albeit under a new name – the Maintenance of Order and Peace Act (MOPA), but with the retention, if not tightening of POSA’s draconian provisions.
As MISA Zimbabwe, we thus can only be cautiously optimistic where it concerns the outcomes of the current legislative reform processes.
Allow us to also extend our special appreciation to Zimbabwe’s media and journalists for being on the forefront in defending their right to media freedom, which is critical to citizen participation in governance issues.
We are also encouraged by the open door engagements that we had with the Ministry of Information during the course of 2019 in our quest for a democratic media environment in Zimbabwe.
Suffice to say our mission and vision as MISA Zimbabwe remains intact as evidenced by the inroads we continue to make in terms of our programming and outreach activities.
The MISA Zimbabwe annual report for 2019 is available for download.
