STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 2022 The minister emphasised a collaborative effort to ensure that the government and companies implicated by whistleblowers are held accountable. It is anticipated that the media will be an important partner in the process, particularly in exposing those who victimise citizens, who blow the whistle on corruption and other unethical practices.(20) The proposed amendments to the law are envisaged to benefit journalists, who rely on sources that include whistleblowers whose confidentiality and other forms of protection have to be firmly guaranteed in the law and in practice. Although there are no notable developments in other countries, whistleblower protection is generally weak across the region. ACCREDITATION OF LOCAL, FOREIGN JOURNALISTS AND MEDIA HOUSES From an administrative perspective, accreditation of journalists and media houses may be necessary. It is relevant in managing media work such as accessing events, sources, and other journalistic privileges. It is, in some instances, necessary for professionalism and accountability purposes. However, the fees that are paid for accreditation should not be prohibitively costly. The Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) set the 2022 accreditation fees for journalists working for local and foreign media houses. The fees are as follows: JOURNALISTS Category Application Local journalist Local journalist working for a foreign media house US$50 Foreign journalist manning a representative office for a foreign media service Temporary accreditation for foreign journalists US$50 Special accreditation -US$15 -US$30 (SADC) -US$40 (Rest of Africa) -US$50 (Others) 22 First time accreditation fee Renewal fee Late renewal fee US$20 US$15 US$10 US$150 US$150 US$50 US$300 US$150 US$50 Productions & projects US$2 500