Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)

(MISA/IFEX) – The Lesotho Speaker of parliament has lifted an order banning the media from covering parliamentary debates, reports the Media Institute of Lesotho (MILES). Speaker Dr. Teboho Kolane lifted the ban on 15 September 1997. Although he did not give reasons for lifting the ban, MILES believes Kolane’s decision was in response to mounting […]

(MISA/IFEX) – Namibian film producers have released recommendations and proposals to the Namibian Draft Film law which the government circulated this May. The recommendations were drawn up during a seminar held in Namibia from 28-30 July 1997. The recommendations and proposals were finalised on 10 September. The seminar was funded and facilitated by the Media […]

A committee of censors in South Africa has banned, under Section 47 of the Publications Act, 1974, public viewing of the American movie “Kids”, on the grounds that it is “immoral and undesirable.” On 18 September 1996, South Africa’s Director of Publications, Dr. Braam Coetzee, said that the ban had been in effect since 6 […]

A community-based radio station, Katutura Community Radio (KCR), which has been on air for more than a year, has been told by the licensing authority it must move frequencies or else close down after a new commercial station targeting KCR’s township audience was allocated a frequency just 0.3 megahertz (MHz) away from the community broadcaster. […]

Swaziland’s only independent newspaper group said the ruling monarchy was planning ways of forcing it to close down. In a “The Times of Swaziland” editorial of 7 August 1996, the newspaper said that there were “strong indications that pressure is being put on the authorities to close down The Times of Swaziland group of newspapers….” […]

The privately-owned newspaper, “Okavango Observer”, was, on 22 January 1996, charged by Botswana’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID) under Section 59 of the Alarming Publications Act. On 22 August, editor Caitlin Davies said that the paper had published in its 29 September 1995 edition a story about a notorious street gang known as “Ma Western” which […]

Authorities in Zimbabwe have reportedly ordered the state-run media to place a “blackout” on news about the on-going country-wide strike by civil servants. According to MISA-Zimbabwe, it has noted distorted coverage in the official print media while there has been “a total blackout” on the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation’s (ZBC) radio and television arms. (Civil servants […]

Malawi President Bakili Muluzi and wife, Anne, have each sued two privately-owned newspapers for defamation. Deputy Registrar of the High and Supreme Courts, Winter Qoto, stated that President Muluzi has sued “The Tribute”, a weekly newspaper, for alleging that the President had fraudulently acquired land worth half a million Malawi Kwacha (about US$ 33, 000). […]