By Michael Trapido ;

President Jacob Zuma's recent state visit to the United Kingdom had as one of its focal points the lifting of targeted sanctions against Zimbabwe. While it rightfully did not achieve that goal it did enlighten the President as to what is required by the EU and US before they will consider easing pressure on President Robert Mugabe and his cronies.

During the course of this week Zuma flew to Zimbabwe and met with Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. The outcome of all this being that the parties once again confirmed that progress was being made, which in itself is nothing new. The citizens of that country have heard it all before.

This time it may be different.

As part of the agreement reached for a government of national unity the parties recognised the right of freedom of expression and the vital role of the media in a multiparty democracy. This has not yet translated itself on the ground as the Mugabe faction of the government, who control far too much of the security forces of that country, are rightly concerned about what a free press would tell the world about the atrocities that they have committed over the past 8 years.

Eight years in which there was extreme media repression in order to try and control the information which was reaching the voters as well as blocking the outside world from seeing what was really going on inside a country where the Zanu-PF had abandoned politics for state sanctioned thuggery.

Against this are the sanctions referred to above which have hit hard on those responsible for it. So much so that they have had the members of the SADC, and specifically South Africa, begging the planet to end it all.

Accordingly Zuma's discussions with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on this issue would have been frank with the PM telling the President what tangible results are required before they would consider alleviating the pressure.

Undoubtedly during this week's meeting Zuma would have advised Mugabe accordingly.

As a result a newly-created autonomous body, the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC), with Godfrey Majonga a former journalist as its chairman, declared Friday that it would promote and protect media freedom.

This body should have been empowered a year ago but only held its first meeting Thursday after its appointments were finally approved by Mugabe. This is highly significant because it comes after the meetings with Zuma and - as a free press is a serious threat to Mugabe - demonstrates that he might now be willing to travel the hard yards in order to have sanctions lifted.

Majonga said in a statement Friday that the watchdog body had resolved to carry out its mandate on behalf of the coalition government, which has recognised the right of freedom of expression and the vital role of the media in a multiparty democracy.

This as opposed to the press gag laws in force since 2002 that saw seven newspapers closed down and provided legal sanction for the arrest and assaulting of scores of journalists. As a result the country was left with state-controlled radio, television and press. Any journalists who practiced without a license issued by Mugabe's panel faced criminal charges.

Foreign journalists were effectively banned from Zimbabwe.

This new nine-member free press watchdog is the first independent body appointed under a series of democratic reforms that Mugabe and Tsvangirai had agreed to in forming the coalition government.

It's significance must therefore not be underestimated.

As indicated above the burden of sanctions and the indications given by Gordon Brown to Zuma on how to end them appear to be finally having the desired effect. And how vital this first step is because once the media can access the people of Zimbabwe and inform them of the progress on, or lack of, reform there can be no turning back.

The first signs of a very dim light at the end of the long tunnel has been sighted.