The Digital Rights Landscape in Southern Africa in Malawi and Zimbabwe

This podcast forms part of the Digital Rights in Southern Africa research and advocacy project that assessed the status digital rights in Southern Africa. As part of the research component, a report titled The Digital Rights Landscape in Southern Africa. The report came into being after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the digital gaps and inequalities in Southern Africa. The report highlighted the numerous challenges that people have when accessing digital services and technologies, these includes the lack of ICT infrastructure, exorbitant cost of data and the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation to name a few.
In this podcast, we have Marystella Simiyu from the Centre of Human Rights in conversation with Mwandida Theu and Sichelesile Audrey Mguni. The discussants shared their understanding of digital rights in their respective countries, namely Malawi and Zimbabwe. The discussion focused on the CSOs initiatives that have been implemented in order to advance digital rights and subsequently the threats to digital rights in these two countries. To further expand on the status of digital rights in these countries, the dissussants shared the experiences and challenges that vulnerable and marginalised communities (children, People with disabilities, rural communities and women) face in order to realise access to digital rights.
Mwandida Theu holds a Bachelors’ Degree in Human Right from University of Livingstonia. She is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Transformative Community Development with Mzuzu University. She is also working as a Program Coordinator for Human Rights and Civil Society Strengthening at Youth and Society (YAS), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) which exist to promote and defend human rights and democratic governance in Malawi in the principal interest of young people and marginalised groups. She is a human rights activist with interest in Human rights, governance, Anti-corruption and rule of law, civic space, digital rights and advocacy.
Ms. Sichelesile Audrey Mguni is a human rights defender and developmental work practitioner with over 3 years of professional experience in communications, community engagement, public policy work and stakeholder engagement for non-governmental organisations. She has vast experience in youth developmental work and stakeholder engagement within youth and gender based institutions. Currently, she is a programs officer at the National Youth Development Trust where her responsibilities include coordinating the designing and implementation of projects that sort to increase youth engagement and participation in social-economic, political and governance processes in Zimbabwe