While this may be standard in a democracy, it so happens that in practice state officials usually act in ways that are in conflict with this spirit, and it would be, a very naïve private press that will live in the comfort of assurances as given by the Minister and expend less energies on efforts to promote true press freedoms. There was not much activity on the judicial front, although two cases merits specific mention. In the case of the former Deputy Attorney General, Abednego Tafa and the newspaper Mmegi, the former sued the latter for damages for defamation, which was settled by agreement and eventually made an order of court in May 2003. Between March and November 1999, Mmegi carried a number of articles in which it was alleged that Mr Tafa had been involved in corrupt dealings with a certain Nicholas Zakhem, a man who had confessed in court that he had bribed several government officials. Mr. Tafa issued summons alleging defamation. The settlement was by publication of an apology and retraction of the contents of the articles and payment of Pula 225 000. This was the second case where such a large sum of money has been paid by a private newspaper, the first being payment of Pula 225 000 to a High Court judge who had also sued Mmegi for damages arising from defamation. These amounts are in no way insignificant, and if this trend is maintained, papers risk closure, and this is all the more serious in an economy where turnovers are generally low. It is even more disturbing to learn that there are more cases of the same nature that are still to be decided, one of the pending ones, being the case of Mr. (Justice) Phumaphi against The Voice, an independent weekly. So This Is Democracy? 2003 24 Media Institute of Southern Africa BOTSWANA LESOTHO MALAWI MOZAMBIQUE NAMIBIA This renewed concerns about the government’s position and desire to control the private press. In an effort to placate those concerned, the Minister “re affirmed” that government fully appreciates the potential of the domestic press as a key partner in development. He congratulated the paper “for playing a positive role in the development of our country. In enlightening Batswana and in providing information and, indeed, in exposing certain misdemeanours in our society, The Guardian has performed the function of a partner in development and the consolidation of democracy.” SOUTH AFRICA This statement is quite loaded in that it suggests that Government has its own set standards and anything outside of this would constitute a violation and deserve censure and that the state is implicitly prescribing a particular manner of reportage. SWAZILAND “This does not mean that we will not criticize any newspaper or broadcaster that engaged in false or abusive reporting, or otherwise falls short of what we would consider to be the minimum ethics and standards of the profession. In this regard our concern is not a question of what topics you report on, but rather how you go about reporting them.” TANZANIA On 22 October 2003 The Botswana Guardian celebrated its 21st anniversary. In a speech delivered at the occasion, the Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, the Honourable D.K. Kwelagobe accused the paper of sometimes being “a bit too creative with the truth”. He cited the tendency to fabricate issues with a view to good sales and of carrying headlines that are “there for no other reason than to boost circulation through the old scam and switch.” While dispelling any suggestion that Government had a desire to control and censor the private press, and dismissing such suggestions as baseless, he said: ZIMBABWE ZAMBIA The motivation behind the split was given that the original department had become too big, was becoming less effective in its portfolio responsibilities and less focused. As the two departments enjoy some apparent specialities in terms of focus, it is believed that the discharge of their functions and responsibilities will be more efficient and conducive to better service delivery. ANGOLA State of the media in Southern Africa - 2003