Africa-Press – Botswana. Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Botswana Chapter plays a critical role in advocating for media freedom, freedom of expression and access to information in Botswana and across Southern Africa.
As such finding alternative methods of supporting the media beyond donor funding is critical, says Assistant Minister for State President Ms Boitumelo Gofhamodimo.
Ms Gofhamodimo was speaking after an inaugural MISA Botswana Golf Day at Stanbic Gaborone Golf Club on March 15.
She said initiatives such as MISA Golf Day were important as they allowed MISA-Botswana to connect with potential sponsors, friends and allies to raise funding for its operations.
“As a non-profit organisation, MISA-Botswana has historically relied on donor funding, which can be unpredictable and unsustainable. It is important to call for support from sponsors to ensure that MISA-Botswana has the resources it needs to continue its vital work,” she said.
She further said the media landscape in Botswana was evolving rapidly, and that MISA-Botswana had been at the forefront of these changes, therefore the importance of media in modern society could not be denied.
Ms Gofhamodimo said media had a huge developmental impact on societies and individuals with its capacity to disseminate information about government policies, programmes and other initiatives.
She assured the media of government’s support and commitment in promoting press freedom in this country.
She highlighted significant steps government had taken to strengthen media freedom, pointing to the repeal of the Media Practitioners Act (MPA) of 2008 and enacted Media Practitioners Association Act of 2022.
In addition, Ms Gofhamodimo said government was moving forward with the enactment of the Access to Information Bill.
“This is a long-awaited development that will further enhance transparency and accountability in our society,” she said, further highlighting that the Access to Information Bill would be published in the Government Gazette, to put it through the winter Parliament.
The media in Botswana continues to enjoy greater freedom and stability, and Ms Gofhamodimo said government aspired for a system of media that could be trusted to report accurately and fairly.
She appealed to media houses to be responsible and accountable in their reporting.
She said as a Ministry responsible for the media portfolio, State President was committed to working closely with MISA-Botswana and other stakeholders to ensure that the media in Botswana remained vibrant, independent, and professional.
Meanwhile, MISA-Botswana vice chairperson, Ms Tshireletso Stoffel expressed gratefulness for government’s commitment and support. “Government’s support to MISA-Botswana is a clear sign of how they view this organisation and Botswana media in general,” she said.
Ms Stoffel, on behalf of her committee, pledged to revive the organisation and advocate for the ideals of what MISA stands for.
She also pledged to work with both government and private sector as well as the civil society, hence events such as MISA Botswana Golf Day.
She further said the day was one of the many fundraising events that MISA-Botswana was engaging in to augment the little that was available in preparation for World Press Freedom Day scheduled for May 3.
Mr Kagiso Binns won the MISA-Botswana Golf Day championship.
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