PRESS FREEDOM UNDER SEVERE STRAIN IN SOUTHERN AFRICA reveals that some of the approaches in the region are not in conformity with international human rights and standards on press freedom that emphasise the protection of media practitioners; repeal of laws relating to sedition and defamation; protection of sources and whistleblowers. Some of the evident challenges to press freedom are censorship, harassment of media practitioners, gaps in whistleblower protection, challenges of media sustainability and the plethora of information disorder that is enabled and perpetuated by the internet enabled digital technologies. By Hlengiwe Dube INTRODUCTION I N Africa, standards on freedom of expression are provided for under Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and elaborated in the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights’ 2019 Declaration on Principles of Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa. All constitutions in Southern Africa provide for freedom of expression and some specifically reference freedom of the press. Countries such as Namibia and South Africa are ranked highly in terms of press freedom in indices such as the World Press Freedom Index. On the other hand, Eswatini and Zimbabwe are ranked lowly on these indices as the media environment in those contexts is constrained by intimidation and surveillance, among other challenges. As international human rights standards dictate, permissible restrictions on freedom of expression should be recognised in law, proportionate and necessary in a democratic society. For instance, in the case of South Africa, the constitutional right to freedom of speech excludes hate speech, and propaganda for war and speech that incites violence. The status of press freedom in Southern Africa Although universal, equitable, affordable, and meaningful access to the internet has not been achieved in Southern Africa, the digital space continues to grow tremendously and the nature of journalism and the media landscape continues to significantly evolve. Media entities are using social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to reach audiences, who have mainly migrated online. Online content creators in this context have become significant players in the provision of information and public interest news content as legacy media struggle with monetisation and adaptation online. While media pluralism and diversity have significantly improved in the region, the landscape continues to exhibit both progression and regression as characterised by consolidation and capture of media by the political elite and those connected to authorities and politicians as the media space opens up. MISA Zimbabwe characterises this development as “plurality without diversity”. This report is a brief highlight of some of the developments in press freedom in 2022 in the Southern African region. DEVELOPMENTS IN THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK During the period under review, there were some notable developments in the legal 17