8.1 Programme Objectives T He programme objectives focus on the need to support media practitioners in the region who face criminal defamation or insult laws cases as a result of their work. The use of these laws, which are quite prevalent in the region, was been sparse, though Zimbabwean journalists from the private media found themselves facing the use of recently promulgated laws that criminalise their work. Other legal impediments have been encountered in other countries resulting in the change of types of cases requiring legal assistance. During the period under review, no legal defence support was provided by the regional Media Defence Fund, though the regional office continued to provide funding to National Chapters to either set up or continue to fund their Legal Defence Funds. 8.2 National activities Botswana The legal support initiative is aimed at assisting media houses and local journalists should they get into trouble through their work on legal issues. The administration of the Fund has now been transferred to MISA Botswana and a number of communications have taken place between media houses and the Chapter. MISA Botswana is in the process of calling a general meeting so that all concerned stakeholders can come up with ideas of making the fund sustainable. They shall also be looking at issues of representation o n the Board of this fund so that all media feel included. So far very little has transpired relating to use of the monies in the fund since coming over to MISA Botswana, although a number of suits have transpired between media houses and litigants. None of the media houses has requested for financial help except “The Gazette Newspaper”, when it was threatened with a law suit by ten Chinese construction companies. Fortunately the matter was settled without any costs incurred. MISA Botswana had made public utterances in the media about threatening media freedom by rushing to courts without regard to the newly established Press Council. It seems that in the last resort the local Chinese authorities prevailed upon their country folks to think otherwise. Lesotho It was not possible to operationalize the Legal Defence Fund as envisaged because of the difficulties experienced with the Law Society. It is still the intention to go on with the involvement of the Lesotho Law Society in terms of which they will set up a panel to administer the Fund. Because of MISA Lesotho’s awareness of the problem which dogged the Law Society during the past year and the realization that the problem may now be behind it, they expect the Law Society to respond more positively this time around. MISA Lesotho is conscious of the need to move with speed on this issue, not MISA Annual Report (April 2003 – March 2004) 91