As Southern Africa’s media leaders gather in Harare for the Southern Africa Media Summit (SAMS) next week, the question confronting the region is not whether the media matters, but whether those in power still believe it should be free.
The summit, hosted by Heart and Soul Broadcasting Services (HSTv), in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, and other civic partners, could not have come at a more critical moment.
Independent journalism, the oxygen of democracy, is under siege across the globe, and Zimbabwe sits at the centre of this struggle.
In recent years, Zimbabwe has seen modest improvements in its global press freedom rankings, reflecting a reduction in overt violations such as arbitrary arrests and assaults on journalists.
Yet these apparent gains remain fragile. The arrests this year of journalists from the private media have raised concerns about the state of the media.
Lawfare, the use of the law to punish or intimidate journalists, has become a sophisticated form of censorship across the globe. It sends a chilling message to reporters: that critical voices may speak, but not without fear.
This climate of fear is reinforced by a web of restrictive laws. Provisions within the Cyber and Data Protection Act, the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act and the Interception of Communications Act continue to criminalise the transmission of so-called “false data messages”, effectively reintroducing offences once buried with the discredited Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
Such laws encourage self-censorship, limit citizens’ right to information and erode the media’s ability to perform its watchdog role, which is enshrined in the constitution.
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While political interference remains a persistent threat, economic suffocation has emerged as a quieter but equally destructive weapon against press freedom.
Independent media houses, especially those critical of state excesses, have been starved of advertising. Many private newspapers and broadcasters are being forced to downsize, reduce investigative reporting or shut down altogether. A democracy cannot flourish where its media survives on the brink of extinction.
The situation reflects the contradictions of Zimbabwe’s media landscape: progress and regression existing side by side. On the one hand, the state has acknowledged the media as a policy priority, and recent reforms have opened the broadcasting space to new players, including community radio stations.
On the other, the persistence of repressive statutes, coupled with official hostility toward critical reporting, continues to undermine these advances. The gap between policy rhetoric and practice has never been wider.
Safety and security concerns for journalists further deepen this paradox. Reporters investigating corruption, politics or human rights abuses still operate under constant threat, from physical attacks to digital harassment.
Without stronger institutional safeguards and adoption of international standards such as the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists, impunity for crimes against the press will remain entrenched. Ending that impunity is not merely a media issue; it is a human right imperative. Every silenced journalist represents a silenced community.
Yet, despite the obstacles, Zimbabwe’s journalists continue to report with courage and resilience. Their persistence is sustained by solidarity among media organisations and regional alliances committed to defending free expression. These networks, such as the Media Institute of Southern Africa, the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists and the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe, are vital in monitoring violations, advocating reform and amplifying the call for accountability at home and abroad.
As delegates gather for SAMS, the challenge before them is clear. It is not enough to lament the shrinking space for media freedom; it must be reclaimed.
Governments must abandon the adversarial posture toward the press and recognise it as an essential partner in governance, a pillar that strengthens, not weakens democracy.
The media, for its part, must continue to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, accuracy and integrity to maintain public trust and moral authority.
Press freedom is not a privilege granted by the state; it is a right that sustains every other right.
