https://zimbabwe.misa.org Impact of Covid 19 on Media Sustainability Covid 19 and Media Freedom Assaults, harassment, detentions IFEX stated in mid-April that since the declaration of states of emergency or states of disaster in Africa reports of threats, intimidation and assaults have surged. On the International Press Institute Tracker, Zimbabwe recorded the highest number in Africa, 12 incidents since the start of the lockdown. South African journalists were declared to be performing essential services and therefore allowed to move freely during the lockdown. Yet Johannesburg freelancer Yeshiel Panchia was harassed on the way back from covering a local story by a policewoman who disputed his essential worker status.86 On the first day of South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown police fired a rubber bullet, which luckily missed, at reporter Azarrah Karrim while she was recording with her camera. She had identified herself as media. On the same day police stopped photographer Tacey Adam filming, despite her protestations.87 South African police reportedly assaulted and charged journalist Paul Nthoba after he photographed them during a COVID-19 lockdown. Writer and columnist, Ismail Lagardien had his jaw broken in October by a brick thrown through the window of his car while covering a violent protest in Kleinmond east of Cape Town about the arrest of people on abalone poaching 86. Courtney Radsch, “Freelance Journalists Risk Lives and Livelihoods amid COVID-19 Pandemic,” Committee to Protect Journalists (blog), April 23, 2020, https://cpj.org/2020/04/freelance-journalists-risk-lives-and- livelihoods-a/. 87. Jonathan Rozen, “OPINIONISTA: We Need Journalists to Be Our Window on a Wider World, Especially during Lockdown,” Daily Maverick, April 2, 2020, https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/ opinionista/2020-04-03-we-need- journalists-to-be-our-window-on-a-wider-world-especially-during-lockdown/. 25