‘Policing the internet’ Reflecting on 2015 From the office of the Regional Director Welcome to the 2015 edition of the Media Institute of Southern Africa’s (MISA) flagship publication, So This Is Democracy?: State of Media Freedom in southern Africa. Each year, MISA produces this report based on our daily monitoring of media freedom victories and violations occurring in the 11 Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries within which MISA operates. This report is a core part of our work as the leading advocate for free expression in the southern African region and informs our campaigns and initiatives as we work toward our vision of a southern Africa where everyone enjoys freedom of expression and pluralism of views and opinions. The disturbing but relevant theme for media freedom in southern Africa in 2015 is ‘policing the internet’. The year 2015 marked a period of frantic activity by southern African governments to control free expression online through threats of increased surveillance and regulating social media, among others. In doing so our governments regrettably overlook the fact that access to information for example, is crucial to both national security and economic integration by both ensuring democratic participation and sound policy formulation. 25 Years of the Windhoek Declaration It would be safe to say that the journalists who met in Windhoek, Namibia, 25 years ago to put on paper their aspirations for an independent and pluralistic African press, never imagined that their pronouncement – the Windhoek Declaration on Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press – would inspire a solidarity movement of journalists, editors and media owners and the emergence of media development organisations across the continent. The spirit of this Declaration reverberated around the world influencing the adoption of the Declaration of Alma Alta (Kazakhstan), the Declaration of Santiago (Chile), the Declaration of Sana’a (Yemen) and similarly the Declaration of Sofia (Bulgaria). The Windhoek Declaration remains one of Africa’s greatest gifts to the world. Sadly an “independent, pluralistic and free press”, as the Declaration demanded, is still far from being realised. However, on the upside, a growing swell of citizens are realising the importance of press freedom and free expression in enabling their ability to participate in decision making. If nothing else, this is the legacy of the Windhoek Declaration and cause for celebration. Towards Sustainable Development The Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) provides a unifying agenda to fight poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation. MISA applauds the inclusion of SDG 16.10 target on access to information, for we hold the view that freedom So This is Democracy? 2015 3