15 SOUTHERN AFRICA PRESS FREEDOM REPORT 2019-2020 MISA Zimbabwe chairperson Golden Maunganidze CREDIT: RESEARCHGATE appearing in weekly print editions for three and a half decades, had to quit print production and shifted to digital platforms. Botswana’s Parliament put in place a State of Emergency law, empowering the President to rule by decree until March 2021. The decree provides for a jail term and a fine of up to US$10,000 for publishing information with “the intention to deceive” the public about Covid-19 or measures taken by the government to address the disease. This provision has a negative impact on the media which is mandated to ensure that the public remains informed about the pandemic. The decree further directs that journalists only “source Covid-19 related information from the Director of Health Services or the World Health Organisation” when reporting on the pandemic or be sentenced to a fine of US$10 000 or five-year jail term. On 31 March 2020, Mozambique also enacted a State of Emergency law, viewed by many as authoritarian and restrictive to media practice. The decree failed to recognise the media as providers of essential services, and imposed sanctions on media publishing information contrary to “official information” on Covid-19. Two journalists, Arcénio Sebastião and Jorge Malangaze, working for DW in Beira, had become state targets and were being persecuted under this decree, although due to lack of evidence, were released without any charge after spending two days in detention on allegations of flouting the decree. The economic impact on media outlets was also apparent with three national newspapers suspending their printed newspapers, and shifting to digital versions. Media houses reportedly laidoff employees due to financial constraints. Lesotho also declared a national emergency, with a lockdown from March 29 to April 21, 2020. It is said that several journalists kept attending government briefings on the pandemic without protective gear. Reports also show that in as much as journalists wanted to gather information through online platforms and telecommunication to curb the spread of the pandemic, their employers were unable to adequately provide them with internet connection and airtime, prompting most to rely on traditional information gathering methods, which put them at risk of contracting the disease. MISA Lesotho led an appeal to the Covid-19 National Emergency Command Centre to stop holding physical gatherings for journalists, and further partnered with the command centre to train journalists on Covid-19 reporting and safety measures. On August 12, 2020, Lesotho’s Deputy Leader of the National Party (BNP) and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Machesetsa Mofomobe, referred to the Zimbabwean editors of the Lesotho Times paper in a derogatory manner for publishing a story about embezzlement of Covid-19 funds under his watch. His hateful remarks were strongly condemned by the media. Mafeteng Community Radio also reportedly faced threats and harassment by district administrators of the Covid-19 Command Centre, for requesting information on the handling of patients at the Mafeteng Covid-19 centre. The district further sued the station for defamation demanding close to US$10,000. The case was, however, resolved out of court. In Zambia, the state passed Statutory Instrument (SI) No. 22 of 2020 which restricted public gatherings and promulgated various regulations aimed at curbing the spread of the virus. The pandemic adversely affected journalists’ sources of information due to the contact restrictions. Media houses also stated that the mandatory provision of personal protective equipment for their journalists placed a heavy financial burden on them, leading to some journalists being laid-off. Media leaders argued that the state should classify them as front-line workers and further provide protective equipment to ensure that journalists are safe in the field while gathering information in the public interest. Namibia also enacted a State of Emergency decree, criminalising the intentional spreading of fake news: any person who publishes false or misleading information in relation to the coronavirus on social media, is liable to a fine of about US$122 or a prison term of up to six months. So far, one person has been convicted under the provision for circulating a WhatsApp voice note