Media Institute of Southern Africa : Promoting Media Diversity . Pluralism . Self-Sufficiency . Independence

well within the rights of MISA to express concern on a number of issues that affect the freeness and fairness of the coming 29 March elections.

The prevailing media and freedom of expression environment in Zimbabwe remains a major area of concern that renders the coming elections questionable as far as critical and alternative voices have not been allowed freedom to operate and be heard.

It should be noted from the beginning that Zimbabwe has one of the worst media and freedom of expression environments in the world, characterized by repressive media laws, chief among them the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), The Public Order and Security Act (POSA), The Broadcasting services Act (BSA) and the Interception of Communications Act (ICA). These laws have been used not only to shut down critical newspapers and ban critical journalists and media houses but have been invoked in this election to ban local and international journalists and a number of foreign media organizations among them CNN and South Africa’s ETV news.

Furthermore the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) has used non existent laws demanding to accredit only journalists licensed by the state controlled Media and Information Commission(MIC). This is despite the fact that the MIC, in its present form is an illegal entity as per the January 2008 amendments to AIPPA. Demands that foreign journalists pay huge sums of money as well as seek approval of the foreign affairs Ministry have resulted in many foreign media organizations interested in covering the elections staying away and others including CNN and South Africa’s E-TV out rightly banned by the Zimbabwe government.

These conditions imposed by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission are unlawful and contravenes the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections as agreed by all SADC Heads of State including President Mugabe. The ZEC further violates all regional initiatives on Elections management all of which Zimbabwe is a signatory including; the SADC Parliamentary Forum’s Norms and Standards for Elections in Southern Africa, the Electoral Commissions Forum (ECF) and the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa’s (EISA) Principles for Election Management , Monitoring and Observation in Southern Africa. Read more