ZIMBABWE / PROMOTING FREE EXPRESSION IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
In light of the recent enactment of the Freedom of Information Act and the gazetting of the Cybersecurity and Data Protection Bill, it is imperative to explore the intended benefits of such legal instruments to the broader generality of Zimbabwe’s society.
"Corruption related to PPE ... is actually murder because if health workers work without PPE, we're risking their lives. And that also risks the lives of the people they serve."
The centrality of access to information in this pandemic cannot be overlooked, in particular, as it relates to timeliness, relevance and adequacy of information.
Internet accessibility in Zimbabwe generally remains low, mainly because of limited infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, where most Zimbabweans are located.
This year’s International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) comes at a pivotal moment in Zimbabwe following the enactment of the country’s Freedom of Information Act.
The MISA Transparency report for 2020 comes at a time when the world at large is under lockdown restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Inevitably, this has had an effect on the right of access to information in Zimbabwe.
The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Regional), has been conducting research and studies since 2009 to establish the difficulty with which citizens in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) can access public information.
The government of Malawi has set 30 September 2020 as the day when its Access to Information Act comes into operation, almost three years after it was signed into law.
The shortlisting of applicants for interviews for private television stations by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) is a welcome development that should end the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation’s (ZBC) monopoly of the television sector.
Tanzania has announced a new set of regulations for foreign media in a continuing and worrying trend of clamping down on freedom of expression and media freedom.