State of the media in Southern Africa - 2003 Letter of Appeal September 25, 2003 TOPIC: MISA appeals to Media Information Commission to grant a licence to The Daily News newspaper and to register journalists. The Chairperson, Dr Tafataona Mahoso Media and Information Commission P O Box CY 7700, Causeway, Harare ZIMBABWE Tel: +263 4 703 416 Dear Sir RE: Appeal to the Media and Information Commission (MIC) to grant a licence to The Daily News newspaper and to register journalists. T he Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) appeals to you, Dr Mahoso, to reconsider your decision to deny The Daily News a licence to operate as a mass media institution in Zimbabwe as required by the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act of 2002. On September 19, 2003, the Daily News applied for registration with the MIC, thereby showing its willingness to comply with the ruling of the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe. The statement by the MIC last week that Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ) which publishes The Daily News has been denied a licence on the basis that it had been publishing illegally, is most unfortunate. We further appeal to you to approve all applications for registration from journalists working for The Daily News as their applications should not be linked to that of their employer. Failure to register these journalists is in violation of their rights to freedom of association. Journalists should be able to obtain their licences separately from that of their employer as they should be able to work for any employer, or even freelance. The International Labour Organisation provides for the right of all workers to freely associate, as well as a worker’s right to choose his or her employer. More recently Article 14 of the Charter of Fundamental Social Rights in SADC, states that every individual shall be free to choose and engage in an occupation of that person’s choice. For that reason all media practitioners have a right to work, to pursue productive endeavour, to engage in voluntary contracts, and to the proceeds of their labour. No individual, and by extension - no government, has the right to restrict an individual’s freedom to choose his or her employer, given that they are not impinging on the rights of others. MISA will therefore welcome the licencing of the ANZ and all its journalist as a goodwill gesture from your office and a sign of your commitment to uphold media freedom and promote plurality of voices in Zimbabwe. We therefore appeal to you to ensure that an enabling environment exists within Zimbabwe to realise the universal goals of freedom of expression and association. Yours sincerely Luckson A Chipare, Regional Director So This Is Democracy? 2003 147 Media Institute of Southern Africa