to sensitise civil society. Due to a lack of funding and a structured Legal Defence Fund committee, MISA Swaziland has not been able to aid journalists in litigation. However, MISA has issued alerts and official press releases to sensitise the public on rights violations. MISA South Africa has gone through internal staff reformation and many programmes, including the legal initiative, are in their infancy. With the aid of the Regional Secretariat and the National Governing Council (NGC), the South African chapter has begun advocacy work on the abuse of media rights. In Tanzania, MISA compiled a detailed report on the country’s repressive media laws, which helped to increase public awareness. Additionally, the chapter raised over US$5 000 for its Media Legal Defence Fund to aid media practitioners facing litigation. With this money, MISA was able to fund the medical costs of two journalists beaten by prison guards. In Zambia, the court case on the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) and Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) boards continued to take centre stage. Thankfully, although not in MISA’s favour, the case was finally disposed of in the Supreme Court in March 2007. A week later a meeting to look at the way forward was held in Lusaka for all media practitioners. The meeting, among others, called on the minister to decide quickly on the names that will be forwarded by the adhoc committees. MISA Zambia supported three media institutions during the 2006/2007 year, namely: • Radio Chikuni, in a case where three reporters were arrested for announcing a meeting of villages to look into a boy’s mysterious death. After MISA Zambia’s lawyer, chairperson and national director visited the police station, the case appears to have died a natural death. • Radio Maria in Chipata was provided with a lawyer to defend the station in a case in which it was sued for defamation by a clinical officer. The clinical officer allegedly refused to help a woman in labour because he had no gloves, and consequently she was forced to give birth outside the hospital. • A Zambia Air Force commander sued The Guardian Weekly for defamation over a case in which he is alleged to have been sexually abusing female officers. The Air Force Commander has since been relieved of his duties by the Republican President. A new committee that decides on the awarding of legal aid was chosen after the mandate of the first one expired. After looking at the criteria that was used to award legal aid, the new committee decided to revisit the current criteria with a view to strengthening it. The committee is still submitting its input and a final agreement will be reached in the next financial year. MISA Zimbabwe’s legal programme has been active in defending journalists and bringing freedom of expression cases to the attention of the African Court of Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR). By the end of 2006, MISA had assisted 13 journalists and media houses with legal representation and financial support. MISA, in collaboration with Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, has challenged the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) at the ACHPR in Banjul, The Gambia. MISA argued that AIPPA unconstitutionally violates media and freedom of expression rights. In its advocacy, the Zimbabwe chapter managed to draw concessions from the government that current media laws are undemocratic. At the November 2006 ACHPR session, the government conceded that Annual Report 2007 57