"Media Laws on the African continent have been amended, revised and rewritten since the first edition of the SADC Media Law Handbook was first published nearly a decade ago. The reasons for new media laws range from the advent of social media to the realisation of the powers-that-be that, with new technologies, they cannot control the narrative and discussion in the way they used to do. How does one balance the need to prevent hate speech with the necessity to question and control those in power publicly as well as those opposing them? Our legal expert, Justine Limpitlaw, has taken up the challenge of analysing and scrutinising the media laws of 13 southern African countries over the past four years. We present the results to you in this three-volume-edition. The work will, in the next few years, make its way into legal offices, newsrooms and courtrooms on the continent, just as the first edition did." (Foreword)
1 The role of the media and press freedom in society, 1
2 Hallmarks of a democratic media environment, 21
3 Media law: pitfalls and protections for the media, 69
4 Botswana, 103
5 Democratic Republic of Congo, 181
6 eSwatini, 237
7 Lesotho, 285
8 Malawi, 341