CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT In October 2024, MISA Zimbabwe held its elective annual general meeting, which, in accordance with its constitution and corporate governance ethos, ushered in new members to its National Governing Council (NGC). I was elected unopposed as Chairperson of the NGC, succeeding Golden Maunganidze after the conclusion of his two consecutive three-year terms in office, as stipulated by the MISA Zimbabwe and MISA Regional constitutions, respectively. On behalf of the new NGC, I would like to pay special tribute to Maunganidze and his resilient team for maintaining the MISA Zimbabwe ship afloat in line with the organisation’s 2021 – 2025 Strategic Plan, mission, vision, and values. Through their selfless commitment, along with that of the Secretariat, which Dr Tabani Moyo ably and competently leads, the organisation continues to break new ground in its quest to secure a conducive operating environment where citizens can enjoy their rights to freedom of expression and access to information. This 2024 annual report will showcase this. In this regard, Zimbabwe has observed a decline in instances of media freedom violations, advancing 10 places from 126 in 2023 to 116 in 2024 in Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index rankings and the collaborative State of Press Freedom in Southern Africa report, which tracks the progression of Sustainable Development Goal 16.1 by the MISA Regional Office and the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa. This occurred against the backdrop of a decrease in media freedom violations in 2023, leading to an improved media operating environment during Zimbabwe’s 2023 election season. There is still more to be done to ensure a supportive media operating environment; hence, our commitment to the domestication of the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity. We therefore reiterate our firm view that the adoption and localisation of the United Nations Plan of Action (UNPA) on the Safety of Journalists, as part of concrete efforts to end impunity for crimes against journalists, will be the icing on the cake that will propel Zimbabwe onto the progressive path of a free and unhindered media. 3 MISA Zimbabwe Annual Report 2024