telecommunications sector - especially in Tanzania and in South Africa, which has expanded citizens’ access to this form of communication. example, there are outdated pieces of legislation which though not being used, still pose a threat to freedom of expression should they be invoked. As an example, mobile phone usage increased from 300,000 in 2003 to almost 15 million by the end of last year. In South Africa, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) finally forced mobile operators to reduce their overpriced tariffs to ensure that more citizens have access to freedom of expression and to the means to communicate. Media Laws and infringements to freedom of expression However, there is a raft of new laws and bills being enacted whose net effect shall be to erode the already limited guarantees of freedom of expression. The year 2009 literally began on 1 January with the enactment of Botswana’s dreaded Media Practitioners Act - one of the many signs of the country losing its grip on the gains of the 1990s in terms of freedom of expression. The law turns the practice of journalism into a privilege that can only be exercised through the benevolence of a statutory Media Council handpicked by government to accredit journalists. It is not averse to democracy to have media laws in any society, but it is the spirit and intention of such laws that need to be scrutinised to see whether they are reasonable and justifiable in a democracy. In the region, there is old and new legislation. In Lesotho and Malawi, for A similar law, the Media Commission Bill of 2009, was also mulled over in Swaziland, while in Zambia and South Africa, politicians have suggested the establishment of media controlling bodies. If enacted in its current state, the Swazi Bill would see the creation of a Commission with powers tantamount 20