9 SOUTHERN AFRICA PRESS FREEDOM REPORT 2019-2020 In February 2019, Frank Mwale, a Patriotic Front cadre attacked Grace Lungu, a Breeze FM journalist together with her driver during the Mkomba Ward by-election. In a positive outcome, the Lundazi Magistrate Court sentenced the perpetrator to two years in jail, as a deterrent to other perpetrators of political violence against journalists. In January 2019, after the government in Zimbabwe announced a 150% hike in fuel prices, national protests broke out against the economic injustices. The UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association, Clement Nyaletsossi Voule, stated in his 2019 report on Zimbabwe that at least 843 people were detained and about 1,055 persons charged and tried for several protest related offences. Civic space continues to shrink, with the arrest, destruction of media tools, blockage from accessing news scenes, harassment and arbitrary prosecutions of journalists while carrying out their duties. Zimbabwe currently ranks 126 out of 180 countries assessed globally by the Reporters without Borders Press Index, a reflection of a hostile operational environment for journalists and freedom of expression in general. This is ironic, given the fact that Zimbabwe is surrounded by countries like Namibia, South Africa and Botswana which are among the highest ranking in the world in terms of facilitating the enjoyment of media freedoms and freedom of expression. A myriad of laws go against constitutional and international standards on freedom of expression, media freedom, access to information and privacy, including the Censorship and Entertainment Controls Act, Official Secrets Act, sections of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Interception of Communications Act, among others. These laws, with a bearing on citizens’ right to free expression and media freedom, continue to exist at a time when the government is in the process of “reforming the media legal framework” through enacting new laws. Currently, the Cybersecurity and Data Protection Bill, and the Zimbabwe Media Commission Bill are in motion. Regarding media plurality, in February 2020, the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe called for six television licence applications, 10 community radio station licences and 19 campus radio licences. ASSESSMENT Principle 1 of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa calls upon States Parties to the African Charter (States) to create an enabling environment for the exercise of freedom of expression and access to information, including by ensuring protection against acts or omissions of non-State actors that curtail the enjoyment of freedom of expression and access to information. The Declaration, under Principle 5 further provides for the protection of the rights to freedom of expression and access to information online and offline, in accordance to relevant international standards. The Declaration guarantees freedom of expression, including the right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art or through any other form of communication or medium, including across frontiers, as a fundamental and inalienable human right and an indispensable component of democracy under Principle 10. It also lays down, in Principle 9, parameters in which States may limit freedom of expression and access to information, if the limitation: is prescribed by law; serves a legitimate aim; and is a necessary and proportionate means to achieve the stated aim in a democratic society. Most of the restrictions to freedom of expression and access to information highlighted in the aforementioned countries, may be prescribed by law, however, they fail to serve a legitimate purpose and to meet the necessity and proportionality test, as some have inappropriate sanctions including jail terms for publishing criminal defamation. In this regard, these laws are not in conformity with the Declaration. ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS AND THE MEDIA In January 2020, Angolan journalists from TV Palanka and Angola Catholic Radio were detained by law enforcement for about two hours and their material destroyed while covering a protest. In Botswana, the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DISS) have been accused