Dube Elected Chairperson of Southern African Press Councils Association

Veteran Zimbabwean journalist, Loughty Dube, has been elected the inaugural Chairperson of the newly formed Southern African Press Councils (SAPC), following its official launch in Lusaka, Zambia, yesterday.


The election took place during the association’s inaugural meeting, which brought together press councils and media self-regulatory bodies from across Southern Africa. The gathering marked a major step toward strengthening regional collaboration on media accountability, ethical journalism, and press freedom.

Dube will be deputised by Dr. Phathiswa Magopeni, Executive Director of the Press Council of South Africa, and Mbongeni Mbingo from Eswatini, forming the first leadership team tasked with operationalising the new regional body.

The SAPC was formally established following the adoption of the Zambia Declaration, a framework that sets out the organisation’s mandate and vision. Founding members include the Press Council of South Africa, Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ), Media Ombudsman of Namibia, Zambia Media Self-Regulation Council, Media Council of Malawi, as well as media representatives from Botswana and Eswatini.

Dube’s election places Zimbabwe at the helm of the new regional body, with expectations that his leadership will help steer SAPC toward achieving its objectives of a more accountable, ethical, and free media landscape in Southern Africa.

Dube said SAPC’s role to strengthen media self-regulation in the region is in tandem with Zimbabwe’s current thrust under President Mnangagwa’s declared support for co-regulation principles, that will see self-regulation co-exist alongside statutory regulation.

“The aim of SAPC is to strengthen self-regulation through ethical journalism and I am happy that I will lead the process of establishing structures for SAPC and the vision of SAPC of strengthening media self-regulation in the region resonates with President Mnangagwas declared principle of co-regulation, which seeks to strengthen media self-regulation in the country,”Dube said.

The regional body aims to promote ethical journalism and professional standards, strengthen independent media self-regulation systems, and facilitate knowledge sharing among press councils in the region. It will also play a key role in advancing press freedom and responsible journalism across Southern Africa.

The formation of SAPC comes at a time when the media sector is grappling with challenges such as misinformation, declining public trust, and increasing threats to media freedom. Member organisations underscored the importance of collective action in addressing these issues and reinforcing democratic values, transparency, and accountability.

SAPC is also expected to engage with regional and continental institutions such as the Southern African Development Community and the African Union, alongside civil society and international partners, to support media development initiatives.