started functioning in the print sector, though the state-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) remained the sole TV and radio broadcaster. Current scenario Zimbabwe is ranked 126 out of 180 in terms of media freedom by Reporters Without Borders (2018), which is a decline from its previous rank of 124 in 2017. This was consequent to the resignation of Mr Robert Mugabe as President in November 2017. Broadcast media Zimbabwe radio and TV remain state-controlled and are the sole broadcast media in the country. Most rural parts of the country do not receive ZBC, the state television. However, TV channels from neighbouring countries, including South Africa, are in fact widely received. In the rural hinterland, the state-run radio is often the sole source of news. Print media The Zimbabwean government also manages two key newspapers, The Herald newspaper published from Harare and The Chronicle published from Bulawayo. However, a number of private media outlets as well as newspapers have sprung up including NewsDay, The Standard, The Independent, Daily News, The Gazette and Zimbabwe Metro. It was noted by the COG that the government media focuses largely and positively on the government’s actions and coverage of the governing party, though it was noted that the state-owned media gave some limited space to the opposition parties in the run-up to the elections. It was also noted that Zimbabwe is extremely polarised, with most of the private papers supporting the opposition parties, often with different emphasis on the same news. Media monitoring Under Section 160(k) of the Elections Act 2005, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is given responsibility to monitor the media and promote fair and balanced coverage during election campaigns. For the 2018 elections, the ZEC established a Media Monitoring Committee, with participation from the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Media Commission. In our view, this Media Monitoring Committee did not monitor the media effectively or encourage media outlets to provide balanced coverage of the election. A report by the independent Media Monitors on news coverage and advertising during the period of the campaign (31 May to 22 July), which was released on 25 July, concluded that ‘ZANU-PF has dominated coverage of this election in all respects, from news reporting, current affairs and advertising. The nature of coverage has largely disadvantaged less-established political parties who have not managed to get much media attention and have failed to take up any offered advertising space to market their parties’. The report notes that ZANU-PF received 53 per cent of mainstream media election coverage compared to MDC Alliance’s 20 per cent. 43