journalists, but for a broader group of people who work to gather information and share it
as news in various formats on various platforms.

Functions of the Commission
Section 249 of the Constitution contains a comprehensive list of the Commission’s functions,
namely:
In addition to these constitutional functions, the Commission is assigned further functions in
terms of Section 4 of the Bill which reads as follows:
(1) In addition to the functions set out in Section 249 of the Constitution, the
Commission shall have the following function:
(a) to monitor and secure compliance with any—
(i) law which regulates media practitioners and media services including
broadcasting, print and electronic media, in order to ensure respect for the
rights protected by Section 61 of the Constitution;
(ii) international treaty to which Zimbabwe is a party with respect to the
protection, promotion or advancing of people’s rights in relation to the media
in Zimbabwe;
(b) to collaborate and co-operate with other independent constitutional Commissions
in supporting and entrenching human rights and democracy

Composition of the Commission
According to Section 248 (1) of the Constitution, the Commission shall comprise of one
Chairperson and eight members or Commissioners. The President of Zimbabwe is
responsible for the appointment of the Chairperson and the eight other Commissioners. The
only caveat is that the President has to consult the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders
when appointing the Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Media Commission. When selecting the
eight other Commissioners, the President’s choices are confined to lists of candidates
received from the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders.
Section 3 of the Bill states that only the Chairperson shall be a fulltime employee of the
Commission, the rest of the Commissioners will only serve on a part time basis. The last set
of Commissioners appointed to the Zimbabwe Media Commission in terms of AIPPA also
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