CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT A free and unhindered media plays a critical role in disseminating information that triggers citizen participation in governance issues for informed choices and decisions on issues that affect their daily lives. This is of critical importance ahead of scheduled elections and the post-election period, of which Zimbabwe held its harmonised elections on 23 -24 August 2023. Election periods thus thrust immense responsibility on the media to provide the public with accurate information that will enable the electorate to make informed decisions and choices when they eventually cast their votes. In line with our 2021 – 2025 Strategic Plan, mission, vision and values, the bulk of our programming and activities in 2023 were thus deliberately framed and devised to secure a conducive media operating environment that enhances citizens’ access to vital electoral related information. The safety and security of media workers is therefore critical as citizens rely on unfettered media for credible and verifiable information to participate in elections freely. Reports by election observer missions to Zimbabwe’s 2018 elections also influenced our programming as part of efforts to address the shortcomings identified or highlighted in the reports as it pertained to the media operating environment. This also came on the backdrop of the scourge and menace of misinformation and disinformation which tends to increase during an election period. 3 MISA Zimbabwe Annual Report 2023