The arrest of Zimbabwe Independent editor Faith Zaba, and the local, regional and global outrage that followed, brought to the fore the untenable legislative operating environment for journalists in Zimbabwe.
Introduction
During the year under review, Zimbabwe retained a relatively stable media operating environment, riding on the back of an impressive reduction in cases of media freedom violations, as witnessed in previous years.
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However, this positive outlook was dented by the arrest of Zimbabwe Independent Editor Faith Zaba under the country's presidential insult laws.
Her arrest triggered condemnation from local, regional and international media organisations, including the Zimbabwe National Editors Forum (Zinef), Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ),
Media Alliance of Zimbabwe, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Amnesty International and World Association of News Publishers, among others.
MISA Regional Director, Dr Tabani Moyo, said Zaba's arrest dented the steady progress thecountry had been experiencing in the wake of the continuous decline in the number of media freedom violations cases.
Dr Moyo said her arrest posed as a "litmus test" on Zimbabwe's commitment to implementing far-reaching media policy and regulatory reforms.
Zaba was arrested on 1 July 2025 and detained in Harare before being released on bail on allegations of undermining the authority of or insulting the President.
At the time of the writing of this report, she was being jointly charged with Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) editor-in-chief Kholwani Nyathi.
The charge relates to a satirical article published in the weekly's Muckraker column.
