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SOUTHERN AFRICA PRESS FREEDOM REPORT 2019-2020

MISA Zimbabwe
chairperson Golden
Maunganidze
CREDIT: RESEARCHGATE

appearing in weekly print editions for three and
a half decades, had to quit print production and
shifted to digital platforms. Botswana’s Parliament
put in place a State of Emergency law, empowering
the President to rule by decree until March 2021.
The decree provides for a jail term and a fine of up
to US$10,000 for publishing information with “the
intention to deceive” the public about Covid-19
or measures taken by the government to address
the disease. This provision has a negative impact
on the media which is mandated to ensure that
the public remains informed about the pandemic.
The decree further directs that journalists only
“source Covid-19 related information from the
Director of Health Services or the World Health
Organisation” when reporting on the pandemic or
be sentenced to a fine of US$10 000 or five-year
jail term.
On 31 March 2020, Mozambique also enacted
a State of Emergency law, viewed by many as
authoritarian and restrictive to media practice. The
decree failed to recognise the media as providers
of essential services, and imposed sanctions on
media publishing information contrary to “official
information” on Covid-19.
Two journalists,
Arcénio Sebastião and Jorge Malangaze, working
for DW in Beira, had become state targets
and were being persecuted under this decree,
although due to lack of evidence, were released
without any charge after spending two days in
detention on allegations of flouting the decree.
The economic impact on media outlets was
also apparent with three national newspapers
suspending their printed newspapers, and shifting
to digital versions. Media houses reportedly laidoff employees due to financial constraints.

Lesotho also declared a national emergency,
with a lockdown from March 29 to April 21, 2020.
It is said that several journalists kept attending
government briefings on the pandemic without
protective gear. Reports also show that in as
much as journalists wanted to gather information
through online platforms and telecommunication
to curb the spread of the pandemic, their
employers were unable to adequately provide
them with internet connection and airtime,
prompting most to rely on traditional information
gathering methods, which put them at risk of
contracting the disease. MISA Lesotho led an
appeal to the Covid-19 National Emergency
Command Centre to stop holding physical
gatherings for journalists, and further partnered
with the command centre to train journalists on
Covid-19 reporting and safety measures.
On August 12, 2020, Lesotho’s Deputy
Leader of the National Party (BNP) and Deputy
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International
Relations, Machesetsa Mofomobe, referred to
the Zimbabwean editors of the Lesotho Times
paper in a derogatory manner for publishing a
story about embezzlement of Covid-19 funds
under his watch. His hateful remarks were
strongly condemned by the media. Mafeteng
Community Radio also reportedly faced threats
and harassment by district administrators of
the Covid-19 Command Centre, for requesting
information on the handling of patients at the
Mafeteng Covid-19 centre. The district further
sued the station for defamation demanding close
to US$10,000. The case was, however, resolved
out of court.
In Zambia, the state passed Statutory
Instrument (SI) No. 22 of 2020 which restricted
public gatherings and promulgated various
regulations aimed at curbing the spread of
the virus. The pandemic adversely affected
journalists’ sources of information due to the
contact restrictions. Media houses also stated
that the mandatory provision of personal
protective equipment for their journalists placed
a heavy financial burden on them, leading to
some journalists being laid-off. Media leaders
argued that the state should classify them as
front-line workers and further provide protective
equipment to ensure that journalists are safe in
the field while gathering information in the public
interest.
Namibia also enacted a State of Emergency
decree, criminalising the intentional spreading
of fake news: any person who publishes false
or misleading information in relation to the
coronavirus on social media, is liable to a fine of
about US$122 or a prison term of up to six months.
So far, one person has been convicted under the
provision for circulating a WhatsApp voice note

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