Communications Act, continue to pose a threat to access to information online. The Zimbabwean constitution provides for statutory regulation of the media. However, advocacy organisations and journalists have been calling for self-regulation, which has been challenging as there is no political will for a selfregulatory mechanism. The Interception of Communications Act, which is yet to be aligned to the 2013 constitution, allows surveillance of any individual and this poses a threat to journalists and whistleblowers. Thus, in an effort to find middle ground, stakeholders in the sector have all, but agreed to co-regulation, where the media is selfregulatory and the statutory body, ZMC, acts as the appellate body in cases of disputes. Surveillance under the Interception of Communications Act is carried out with the authority of a minister rather than a judge, raising the possibility that this provision could be abused for political reasons. (7) At the end of 2022, the government approved the principles of the Zimbabwe Media Practitioners Bill, raising hope that the coregulation mechanism would soon come into fruition. (6) A provision in the Cyber and Data Protection Act, which criminalises the publication of false data messages intending to cause harm, has been used against several journalists such as Wisdom Mdzungairi, Desmond Chingarande, Thembelihle Mhlanga and Hope Chizuzu. However, with elections taking centre stage in 2023, the legislative agenda soon fell down the pecking order and the bill never made it to parliament. While they have all been summoned for questioning by the police for breaching the provisions of this law and charged, they have not yet been prosecuted. There are efforts to revive the Bill and it remains to be seen whether the new government that came into power in 2023 after the elections has any appetite for such reforms. In January 2024, a civilian was arrested for once again publishing falsehoods online. Politicians Fadzayi Mahere and Job Sikhala were convicted for transmitting false messages. Digital rights and the expansion of communications sector The Cyber and Data Protection Act on one hand and Section 31(a)(iii) of the Criminal Law Code on the other, engender self-censorship and restrict freedom of expression online. In February 2024, Mahere was acquitted, with the High Court ruling that she had been charged under a non-existent law. The internet has increasingly become central to communication in Zimbabwe. The COVID-19 pandemic saw most mainstream newspapers migrating to online platforms, while there has been a steady growth in online media start-ups. It is important to note that the Constitutional Court has in the past ruled that criminalising the publication of falsehoods. (8) However, the Cyber and Data Protection Act, together with the Interception of In 2013, then Deputy Chief Justice Luke Journalist Desmond Chingarande has also fallen victim to a provision in the Cyber and Data Protection Act, which criminalises the publication of false data messages intending to cause harm STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 2023 96