Southern Africa Litigation Centre (Salc) has asked the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) to start holding member States accountable for escalating attacks on the media in the region.
This follows arrests, harassment and intimidation of journalists in Sadc member States in recent months, which Salc says signifies the battle for free expression is far from over within the region.
Malawi is a Sadc member State and President Lazarus Chakwera served as chairperson for the 16-member bloc for a year from 2021 after taking over the role from former Mozambique president Filipe Nyusi.
In his article titled Defend the Press: Protect Free Expression and Democratic Values published on southernafricalitigationcentre.org, Salc civic rights programmes manager Melusi Simelane said together with the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, Sadc should take decisive action by publicly condemning persistent media violations in the region.
He said regional bodies must move beyond rhetoric and actively work to repeal oppressive laws, protect journalists from persecution and create an environment where independent media can thrive.
Said Simelane: “Civil society organisations, media practitioners and the global community should redouble their efforts to defend press freedom. To preserve democracy, the fight against censorship, disinformation and propaganda must intensify. We must stand in solidarity with those risking their lives to report the truth and resist attempts to silence independent journalism.”
He said press freedom is non-negotiable and a fundamental pillar of any democracy that ensures accountability fosters an informed citizenry and protects against State overreach.
As such, Simelane said all forms of abuse towards the media in the Southern African region should be condemned and that governments, which in most cases are in the forefront in perpetrating attacks, should cease such a vice.
He further stressed that government in southern African region must uphold their obligations under international rights law to stop stifling the press, emphasizing that such occurrences are systematically dismantling the very foundations of democracy.
“On the other hand, disinformation and propaganda have become powerful tools in this battle against truth and accountability. Instead of ensuring transparency and upholding human rights, many governments use State-controlled media and online platforms to distort narratives, delegitimise independent journalism and mislead the public,” said Simelane.
While this remains the situation in most Southern African countries, he said such manipulation of information does not just stifle dissent as it fosters fear, polarizes societies and weakens democratic institutions.
Simelane further argued that when journalists are silenced, societies are deprived of critical information.
Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) Malawi Chapter chairperson Golden Matonga said one major threat to media operations is the growing incidents of political violence, which are a violation of the rights to opinion, free expression and assembly.
He said: “Ahead of the September 16 General Elections, it is important that relevant stakeholders, including police, Malawi Electoral Commission, Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority and political parties continue to work with media bodies, and media houses to ensure safety of journalists, media freedom and contribute towards overall conducive environment during the elections.”
At the start of 2025, Misa Malawi Chapter said State suppression on the media persisted, which frustrated press freedom.
It highlighted as another low point the police action to confiscate mobile phones and laptops from over 14 Malawi Broadcasting Corporation journalists for alleged offences committed under the Electronic Transactions and Cybersecurity Act.
Misa faulted police for stopping Nation Publications Limited journalists from using mobile phones to livestream the Malawi Congress Party convention, which President Lazarus Chakwera attended.
Journalists across the globe will on May 3 2025 celebrate World Press Freedom Day under the theme: “A Press for the Planet.”
The theme aligns with journalists’ roles in addressing global environmental challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
