Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Home 9 Access to information 9 MISA Regional Chairperson Jeremias Langa’s Opening Remarks for the Regional World Press Freedom Day commemorations –

MISA Regional Chairperson Jeremias Langa’s Opening Remarks for the Regional World Press Freedom Day commemorations –

7 May, 2025
This post was broadcasted from MISA Regional.
This has a chilling effect on freedom of expression and the media. Such laws have been used in other jurisdictions to target political opponents, journalists, and activists.

MISA Regional Chairperson Jeremias Langa’s Opening Remarks for the Regional World Press Freedom Day commemorations – May 7, Johannesburg, South Africa

The Regional Representative of the Regional Office of OHCHR in Southern Africa Ms Abigail Noko

Secretary General of the National Commission for UNESCO, Mr Carlton Mukwevho

EU Delegation to South Africa Larsen Soeren Hoegsbro

Advisor for Communication and Information UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa, Mr Al Amin Yusuph

Government officials here present

Colleagues and friends

All protocols observed

 

Ladies and gentlemen, we gather this year to commemorate World Press Freedom Day, albeit belatedly, during a time when journalism confronts both old and new challenges.

 

I do not want to sound pessimistic, but I want to begin by saying that we are in unprecedented times, in which the very future of journalism is at stake.

 

The rise of right-wing movements in the West and the ongoing assault against the media in the United States do not bode well for the future of independent journalism.

 

Where the media once stood strong against tyranny, we are increasingly witnessing it recoil and toe the line of the leaders.

 

This is ominous not just for freedom of the press but also for democracy, which the global order has been trying to build for the past several decades.

 

It wasn’t perfect, but at least we were working toward something we believed would give us a chance to prosper.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, before addressing this year’s theme, allow me to turn to emerging issues in our region.

 

In my country, Mozambique, we witnessed shocking attacks on the media following the 2024 elections. While elections are often accompanied by violence, nothing could prepare us for the extensive assault on journalists.

 

In neighbouring Zimbabwe, Alpha Media Holdings senior journalist Blessed Mhlanga had spent almost 70 days in prison before being granted bail on 6 May 2025. Mhlanga is facing two counts of contravening Section 164 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, which addresses transmitting data messages inciting violence or damage to property.

 

 

In Zambia, the government has recently approved two cyber laws that may enable extensive surveillance on citizens, undermining the right to privacy.

 

This has a chilling effect on freedom of expression and the media. Such laws have been used in other jurisdictions to target political opponents, journalists, and activists.

 

I could continue, ladies and gentlemen, illustrating how we have regressed over the past year as a region.

 

Turning to Artificial Intelligence, we have seen in the past few years that new technologies possess revolutionary potential for transforming our methods and enhancing the efficiency of our work.

 

However, in our context, there is a genuine reason to fear that AI may be utilised to reproduce misinformation, spread disinformation, amplify online hate speech, and facilitate new forms of censorship.

 

The COVID-19 experience demonstrated how quickly our governments enact laws and regulations that facilitate surveillance under the guise of cybersecurity.

 

Within days of lockdowns being introduced, most countries in the region had enacted laws that promoted surveillance. Such laws remained in place, despite the pandemic showing signs of ebbing.

 

While AI is still nascent in Southern Africa, it is imperative that we adopt a multi-stakeholder approach to developing guidelines on the technology’s adoption, while simultaneously reaffirming our universal commitment to freedom of expression and press freedom.

 

In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to ask whether we, as journalists, are truly reporting in a brave new world, or in a now scary and uncertain new world.

 

With these brief remarks, I would like to welcome you to this event on behalf of MISA.

 

I wish you fruitful discussions, and I hope we will all leave with solid takeaways on the next concrete steps we urgently need to take to improve our situation.

 

I Thank You!

 

 

About MISA

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) was founded in 1992. Its work focuses on promoting, and advocating for, the unhindered enjoyment of freedom of expression, access to information and a free, independent, diverse and pluralistic media.

Share this

Related news

Calls for AI regulatory frameworks 

Calls for AI regulatory frameworks 

Media practitioners and stakeholders have called for policies and regulations that recognise the new realities brought by Artificial Intelligence (AI).  Although the use of generative AI remains nascent in Zimbabwe, stakeholders have raised questions about its...

MISA launches fifth annual state of press freedom report

MISA launches fifth annual state of press freedom report

MISA Regional officially launched the fifth edition of the State of Press Freedom in Southern Africa report on 8 May 2025, a key evidence-based advocacy tool for improving the safety of journalists in the region.   The 2025 report was launched at the belated...

Call to extend AI beyond traditional governance frameworks

Call to extend AI beyond traditional governance frameworks

There is a need to move beyond the mere adoption of imported AI (Artificial Intelligence) technologies by developing systems that enhance the representation of African languages, thereby extending the application of AI beyond traditional governance frameworks. The...