Country Reports Snapshots Key stakeholders such as the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Zimbabwe Media Commission, Zimbabwe Republic Police, journalists, media organisations and political parties were engaged. Resultantly, Zimbabwe’s elections were conducted in a drastically improved media operating environment regarding journalists’ and media workers’ safety and security. This is evidenced by the massive reduction in media freedom violations, which tend to spike during the country’s election campaign seasons. Further, in collaboration with the Zimbabwe Media Commission and UNESCO Regional Office Southern Africa, MISA Zimbabwe engaged the media to recommit to the ideals of professionalism while covering elections. This was drawn from MISA’s experiences in the 2022 Lesotho elections, where MISA Lesotho took leadership in mobilising the media to commit and recommit to professionalism while covering the election. Zimbabwe’s media, comprising state-owned, private and community media, campus radio stations and freelance journalists, committed themselves to the highest ethical standards in the coverage of the 2023 elections. Media advocacy groups and academics also appended their signatures to the Harmonised Elections Media Code of Conduct Pledge 2023 in Bulawayo on 10 August 2023. The pledge was endorsed by the government of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), Zimbabwe Media Commission and political parties, among other critical stakeholders. 46 It suffices to note that genuine and organic partnerships and collaborations work, as demonstrated by the engagement meetings held with key stakeholders to improve the media operating environment. MISA Zimbabwe, therefore, extends its sincere appreciation to the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Media Commission, political parties, and our colleagues under the auspices of the representative Media Alliance of Zimbabwe for making that possible. Challenges The issue of dual accreditation, wherein media practitioners accredited with the Zimbabwe Media Commission are requested to pay additional fees upon being accredited by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to cover elections, remains of concern. There is also a need for transparency in the accreditation process related to elections as some foreign media were only allowed accreditation with a clear justification. Other foreign journalists had their equipment confiscated at the airport due to the legal bottlenecks, which were only communicated to the journalists upon arrival to cover the elections. There is also a need to revisit provisions of the Cyber and Data Protection Act, which impact free expression and media freedom, such as the ones on the transmission of false data messages and defamation. This entails increasing awareness of the Freedom of Information Act to ensure citizens are aware of the law and utilise it to enjoy their right to access to information, more so during election periods. www.misa.org