26/08/2026
Last week, The Girls Table joined a two-day validation meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, for the “Strengthening Information Integrity in Southern Africa” country reports covering Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Across the countries, the discussions highlighted a clear pattern. Gendered disinformation is being used to undermine women’s participation in public life. Women politicians, journalists, electoral officials and activists are targeted through character assassination, sexualised insults, and narratives linked to morality, sexuality and witchcraft. These narratives undermine women’s credibility, influence how they are perceived, and can contribute to self-censorship and withdrawal from public spaces.
The conversation also highlighted the importance of looking at information integrity through a grassroots lens. As The Girls Table, we shared experiences of young women in rural and marginalised communities whose access to information and connectivity is shaped by household dynamics and influenced by climate-driven migration, including migration to and from South Africa and Botswana.
For us, strengthening information integrity also means strengthening women’s access to information, digital spaces and opportunities to participate. It means paying attention to whose voices are heard, whose experiences shape the conversation, and who has the resources to engage safely and meaningfully.
We were honoured to contribute the perspectives of young women from Zimbabwe to this important regional conversation.