communities, citizens in rural areas need more ready access to the forms required to make information requests. Some citizens continue to traverse long distances to obtain a printer and utilise the prescribed Freedom of Information Act request form. This issue must be addressed to ensure that public institutions in rural areas provide and proactively disclose information. Nyanga Information Hub The Hub was established to bridge the access to information gap by providing Information Communication Technology facilities and complementing the government’s efforts to enrich citizens’ right to access information through its Community Information Centres across Zimbabwe. In that regard, MISA Zimbabwe worked closely with Munyaradzi HIV and AIDS Trust, a local community-based organisation based at St. Mary Magdalene’s High School. As a result, the information hub could be used by community members, including local villagers, medical practitioners, teachers, and students. Established in March 2020, the Nyanga Information Hub and three other Hubs in Gwanda, Gweru, and Lupane proved particularly impactful during the COVID-19 pandemic. Community members, including local teachers and parliamentarians, used the hubs’ facilities to access crucial information and disseminate awareness about COVID-19. MEDIA AND LEGAL SUPPORT Police-Media Engagement Meetings On 24 May 2024, the MISA Advocacy Committees led police-media engagement meetings in Kariba, Gwanda, Bulawayo, Kwekwe, Gweru, Mutare, Harare, and Masvingo as part of the Provincial World Press Freedom Day Commemorations. • In Masvingo, journalists now benefit from a dedicated WhatsApp group that facilitates regular communication with the police and its provincial commanders. This initiative has been instrumental in reducing tensions and strengthening relationships between the police and journalists in the province. • MISA Zimbabwe Chinhoyi Advocacy Committee Chairperson Conrad Mupesa engaged the police in Chinhoyi on 21 November 2024 after journalist Naome Magorimbo was briefly detained after the police and Chinhoyi Municipal Police accused her of taking pictures without their consent during a raid on vendors in the town. He was accompanied by the ZUJ provincial chairperson for Mashonaland West, James Muonwa. The journalist was released without any charge. The release of the Chinhoyi journalist without being charged after the intervention of the MISA provincial chairperson demonstrates the effectiveness of previous police-media 8 MISA Zimbabwe Annual Report 2024