1000 copies of ‘MISA-FOCUS’ the first in the history MISA Newsletter was produced and distributed and attracted wide media coverage in both the print and electronic media. B8. In Namibia President Sam Nujoma in August 2002 took over the Information and Broadcasting portfolio, arguing that he needed to play a role in tackling problems at the NBC and disciplining NBC employees. The President has since instructed the broadcaster to stop screening foreign films and series that have a bad influence on the Namibian youth and instead to show films that portray Namibia in a positive light. The government still maintains its advertising ban against the independent English daily newspaper, The Namibian. On March 23, 2001, the government slapped an advertising boycott on the paper, claiming it was too critical of its policies and a few months later President Nujoma extended the ban to include the purchase of The Namibian with state monies. B9. The Government of Swaziland banned the print versions of the Guardian newspaper and the Nation magazine from circulating in the country in May 2001. The Guardian’s legal victory on August 31 that year lasted less than a week when the government appealed against the court ruling that had allowed the Guardian to resume publishing after a four-month ban. The newspaper has since closed its offices. The delaying tactics employed by the government – and supported by a demobilised judiciary - have indeed succeeded in crippling an alternative voice in that country. B10. A milestone meeting on Self Regulatory Mechanism was held in Piggs Peak 6-8 December and this was seen as a great initiative that finally saw key stakeholders getting their act together in coming out with a framework for a self regulatory mechanism. Stakeholders were able to adopt a Code of Ethics and a lawyer was mandated by the plenary to put together a Constitution and Code of Ethics for a Media Complaints Commission. The British High Commission sponsored the meeting and at the end of the meeting it became quite obvious that Swaziland had no alternative but to come out with one mechanism. The Long awaited Draft Information Communication Policy document was finalized and the Ad-hoc Committee which had been working tirelessly to counter a Media Council that was imposed by the Government presented the report to the Minister of Public Service and Information. The Minister in turn is expected to table this to the Cabinet and then later to the parliament. Initial funding for this project came from the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP). B11. On 28, October 2002, the MISA Botswana Chapter and the Botswana Media Consultative Council (BMCC) registered the Notarial Deed of Trust of the Press Council of Botswana in Gaborone. The Press Council has been officially registered after a culmination of over two years of stakeholder consultations involving media organisations and houses as well as interested 15