Maunganidze elected MISA Regional chair

HARARE – Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) Zimbabwe’s national chairperson Golden Maunganidze was elected to chair the Misa SADC regional chapter at an election held in Harare over the weekend.

Maunganidze was unanimously voted to be the new chairperson of the MISA Regional Governing Council (RGC), taking over from Helen Mwale, the MISA Zambia former chairperson.

He will be deputized by Oesti Tsoana, who is MISA Lesotho chairperson, while MISA Tanzania chairperson Salome Kitomary was elected treasurer of the RGC.

In his acceptance speech, Maunganidze said MISA has the opportunity to reconstruct itself into a competitive institution that is renowned in shaping the course of expression, access to information and media freedom in the world.

“This is a golden opportunity for MISA to define and craft blue ocean strategies that consolidate its leadership position and expertise on issues pertaining to free expression, access to information and media freedom.

“We have an opportunity to sustain the reconstruction of a competitive institution that stands tall among others in shaping the course of expression, access to information and media freedom in the SADC region continentally and globally,” said Maunganidze who is also the director of the Great Zimbabwe University Campus radio station and Media Studies lecturer.

The meeting, which was held on the sidelines of the Regional Multi-stakeholder Internet Governance Forum on the same day in Harare also saw the RGC unanimously resolving that the MISA regional secretariat moves to Zimbabwe in line with the strategic objectives of the organization.

Speaking on the same event, MISA Zimbabwe national director Tabani Moyo said the move will be a huge task on the shoulders of MISA Zimbabwe, it was an expression of unity of purpose among the chapters on the need for registering sustainable impact through MISA’s interventions.

“All the chapters have a renewed sense of ownership, belief and commitment to the network, whose footprints on campaigns on expression, access to information and media freedom remain indelible in the region,” Moyo said.

The MISA regional office closed in 2015 and since the chapters had been organizing themselves to better lobby and advocacy efforts.

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