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MISA
AGM 2006 statement on the state of media freedom and freedom of
expression in SADC
Media Institute
of Southern Africa (MISA)
September 08, 2006
The 2006 Annual
General Meeting of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA),
which concluded at the Indaba Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa
on September 5, 2006, expressed grave concern about the ongoing violations
of media freedom and freedom of expression perpetuated in the Southern
Africa Development Community (SADC).
MISA delegates, drawn
from Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa,
Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, noted the following:
The withdrawal of the
Draft Broadcasting Policy by the Minister of Communications, Science
and Technology in Botswana, has brought about questions as to whether
a conservative parliament is holding democracy at ransom. The major
concern of parliamentarians that community radio will divide and
bring untold division to the country is unfounded and unacceptable.
Currently Botswana, Lesotho
and Zimbabwe are the only SADC countries without community broadcasting
services. This does not augur well for the democratic credentials
that have been credited to these countries.
MISA calls on SADC governments
to relinquish control of the national broadcasters, to transform
them into public service broadcasters in the service of the citizenry.
Whilst Zambia has shown
much progress in terms of enacting positive legislation in the public
broadcasting sector, a lack of political will has largely hampered
the implementation of such legislation. We call upon the government
of Zambia to honour the decision of the High Court and to proceed
with the implementation of the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation
(ZNBC) Amendment Act and Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA)
Act, as is the will of the people.
Similarly in 2002, the
Zambian government withdrew the Freedom of Information bill. We
strongly appeal to the government to recall this bill, enact it,
and ensure that Zambian citizens can freely access information held
by public authorities.
Attempts in other SADC
countries to enact similar legislation on access to information
are being hampered by a lack of political will. This is the case
in Lesotho, Malawi and Namibia.
South Africa's
Minister of Home Affairs' proposal to amend the Film and Publications
Act, is an obvious attempt to exercise pre-censorship of the media.
A delegation consisting of MISA-South Africa, the Freedom of Expression
Institute (FXI) and the South African National Editors' Forum
(Sanef) this week made a presentation to the Home Affairs ministry
to underscore that the media in South Africa is already regulated
by the Press Ombudsman, the Independent Communications Authority
of South Africa (ICASA) and the Broadcasting Complaints Commission,
which hold the media accountable for ethical and other breaches
of their codes of conduct.
In addition, MISA South
Africa this week strongly condemned the destruction of pictures
of President Thabo Mbeki taken by 'Beeld' newspaper
photographers as he was entering a cardiac clinic. This is the second
time that bodyguards have acted in a highhanded manner despite assurances
by the cabinet that there is no intention to muzzle the press.
The operating environment
for the media in Swaziland continues to be adversely affected by
restrictive laws and political pressure which engenders a climate
of fear for media practitioners and their subsequent self censorship
to the detriment of Swazi society. The government of Swaziland is
called upon to immediately commence upon a consultative process
of law reform to enact media-related legislation in a manner that
promotes the freedom of expression and the press, particularly as
this freedom is recognised in Section 24 of the new Swaziland constitution.
The Interception of Communications
Bill, currently being reviewed by Zimbabwe's Parliamentary
Legal Committee, is a highly intrusive form of legislation that
is vague, lacks sound justification, invades into the private lives
of citizens, is unreasonable in a democratic society and blatantly
unconstitutional and should never be allowed to pass in Zimbabwe.
On the broadcasting front,
the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) is in contempt of parliament,
as it continues to ignore calls for issuing of broadcasting licences.
Since its establishment through the Broadcasting Services Act give
years ago, the BAZ to date has not issued a single licence.
MISA urges the parliament
of Zimbabwe not to pass this legislation.
The AGM also
elected new members of the MISA Executive Committee:
Regional Chairperson- Mr Thabo Thakalekoala - MISA Lesotho.
Deputy Regional Chairperson- Ms Lomcebo Dlamini- MISA Swaziland
Member: Mr Laona Segaetsho- MISA Botswana
Member: Mr Christof Maletsky- MISA Namibia
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