Media freedom across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in 2025 remains a key indicator of the region’s democratic health, Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Regional Governing Council Chairperson, Mr Jeremias Langa, says.

In the MISA Regional Annual Report 2025, Mr Langa says the region is experiencing a volatile media environment characterised by legislative changes and digital expansion, with some policy reforms masking efforts by states to shrink civic space and suppress independent journalism.

He says recent regional survey data shows that only 10 percent of stakeholders consider the regional media environment free, while 84 percent of documented threats originate from governments and political parties.

Mr Langa notes that although the region has recorded progress in media-related legislation, particularly in the implementation of Access to Information (ATI) frameworks, these gains are increasingly undermined by restrictive regulatory measures.

He cites Zambia’s Cabinet approval of the ATI Act Regulations as one of the positive developments, but warns that cybersecurity and data protection laws in several countries are being used to expand state surveillance, criminalise digital expression and restrict the free flow of information.

He further observes that archaic insult laws and criminal defamation provisions continue to expose journalists to harassment and prosecution, citing high-profile arrests in Zimbabwe under laws criminalising insults against the President.

Mr Langa says strategic legal interventions have, however, yielded notable victories, including High Court rulings in Zimbabwe protecting satirical commentary and the defeat of proposed legislation seeking to control the media in Zambia.

Despite these gains, he says outdated laws, including Lesotho’s Printing and Publications Act of 1967, remain in place, highlighting the need for comprehensive legal reforms to strengthen media freedom and protect independent journalism.

Beyond legislative challenges, Mr Langa says the region’s media industry is facing a severe economic crisis that threatens editorial independence and the sustainability of news organisations.

He notes that financial instability has left newsrooms vulnerable to political capture and commercial influence, potentially achieving through economic pressure what statutory censorship seeks to accomplish.

Meanwhile, MISA Regional Secretariat Director Dr Tabani Moyo says there is an urgent need to strengthen information as a public good, particularly amid growing global instability.

Dr Moyo points out that the world is grappling with escalating geopolitical tensions, some of which have developed into armed conflicts with far-reaching consequences.

He cites conflicts involving the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, as well as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, as examples of tensions affecting global stability.

“These conflicts have disrupted global value and supply chains, further widening the gap of inequality and deepening poverty. Simultaneously, climate change and disrupted meteorological cycles have triggered cyclones, droughts, famine and human-wildlife conflicts,” he says.

The MISA Regional Annual Report 2025 underscores the importance of information as a public good and its contribution to societal development, while reaffirming the need to advance justice, transparency and equality across the SADC region.

Image by Club of Mozambique