ernment of Zambia, who have promised to bring an access to information bill, which is considered one of the most progressive on the continent, before parliament on no less than six occasion has to date not done so, giving the impression that Government are in fact unwilling to enact such legislation. They have recently pronounced that the bill will be considered in June 2013. MISA will continue to the monitor the state of access to information in Southern Africa in 2013 through research undertaken on the ‘Most Open and Secretive Government Institution in Southern Africa’ as well as advocating for the adoption of a conducive legal framework both nationally and regionally. %URDGFDVWLQJ Tighter controls were directed at broadcast media in 2012 and where some semblance of reform took place, it was actually for the worst. The establishment of the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) to oversee broadcasting and communications in Botswana is a case in point. The law that establishes BOCRA makes no provision for either public service broadcasting or public service broadcasting nor community broadcasting and is highly inconsistent with the African Charter on Broadcasting (see appendices). This is a major setback. Across the rest of the region, serious concerns still exist around the state of broadcasting and as the country overviews contained in this report state, without progressive reforms in broadcasting, media freedom, freedom of expression and access to information remain elusive. The majority of national broadcasters 6R7KLVLV'HPRFUDF\" in the SADC region remain under government control, and public service broadcasting has not taken root to date. Whilst some countries in the SADC region have legislative provisions in place to secure independent Media, such as South Africa, Zambia and Tanzania, Zambia’s law which was already introduced in 2002, has to date not been fairly implemented and ZNBC remains under State control. Tanzania’s application of the law has been patchy at best and its communications regulatory authority continues to be appointed by the Government, and whilst South Africa has been the only country to date with evidence of practical application, with broadcasting been regulated by the Independent Broadcasting Authority, its reliance on commercial funding, along with increasing concerns over Government interference with SABC have raised serious concerns over its independence. In other countries such as Zimbabwe, Botswana and Swaziland, there are little attempts at pretence with the broadcaster remaining unabashedly state owned. It is clear that in most countries it is still the case that the Ministry of information determines who should and shouldn’t receive a license, which sends a clear signal that although countries within the Region have indicated a commitment towards democratization, services such as public service broadcasting have been compromised by political interference to the extent that Governments undermined national development, good governance and citizen’s rights to access to freedom of expression and access to information. It is beyond question that broadcasting media are powerful tools for communication but some of the paranoia exhibited by