station is. disaster. With the theme of World Press Freedom Day 2024 — devoted to the importance of journalism and freedom of expression in the context of the current global environmental crisis — it is integral to look at how this then links up to elections. A month later, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa followed suit. (7) The cascading impact this is having, and will have on food security and most importantly provision of energy, will ripple through the region — impacting heavily on Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa — all of whom are going to the polls this year. Particularly because, with the above dynamics tainting the landscape, it is even harder for the intersectional issues of elections, freedom of expression and environment as well as climate to break through the coating of freedom and fairness of the electoral process. The incoming leadership taking over after polling day will not have the luxury or the ability to ignore the impact. This is particularly problematic as “Africa has a busy election calendar in 2024, with 19 countries slated for presidential or general elections.” (3) Yet these issues have barely made it into the campaigns of political parties vying for leadership when you consider that the incoming leadership will not have the luxury or the ability to ignore the impact as millions of Southern Africans face the threat of hunger, malnutrition and water scarcity due to drought and floods that have been experienced to date. At least five of these are lined up to take place in Southern Africa. (4) South Africa — 29 May 2024 Mozambique — 9 October 2024 Namibia — 27 November 2024 Mauritius — 30 November 2024 Botswana — No date yet The crippling electricity crisis already being experienced in South Africa and Mozambique will deepen. The evidence of how disconnected political parties are from the daily lives of the electorate is when you consider their lack of tangible action on changes being brought about by the global environmental crisis — deforestation, soil degradation, desertification, wetland degradation, air pollution, water pollution, garbage pollution, climate change and water scarcity. Their lack of action could be connected to the point raised in a study by Nick Obradovich and Brigitte Zimmermand, which indicates that: “Voters are unlikely to reward — and may significantly punish politicians for campaigning on climate change policy platforms.” (8) This clearly shows that African voters will not actually support climate change policies. Governments and political parties are ignoring the environmental crises in their regions and their adverse effects of climate change and the subsequent impact on the right to life, right to adequate food, right to water, right to health, the right to adequate housing and the right to self-determination, because they are unable to make the critical links. But then there are certain situations where this may not be true. Practically, Mauritius is one of the few countries making a perceptible attempt at addressing environmental concerns. Of the five Southern African countries holding elections, this Indian ocean island is one of the countries going to the polls in November on a more solid footing than its counterparts. Analysis by the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development with the support of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre traced the start of the El Niño induced drought back to October 2023 starting in Botswana and gradually intensifying and expanding across Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. (5) Not all is well though. “Impunity, nepotism and cronyism are on the rise. Civil rights that are codified by law have been compromised by the growing authoritarianism in the country. Noting the “devastating consequences on many critical sectors such as agriculture, water availability and energy supply, and the risk to national food security and livelihoods of millions of Zambians.” (6) Zambian President Haikande Hichelema was the first leader in the region to declare the El Niño-induced drought a national “This is augmented by increased levels of corruption, combined with the cumulative politicisation of the police, the judiciary and other key institutions.” (9) 15 STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 2023