Event Summary
On 18 August 2025, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ziyambi Ziyambi, issued a public warning targeting WhatsApp group administrators, declaring they would be held legally accountable under the Cyber and Data Protection Act [Chapter 12:07] for any unverified corruption allegations shared in their groups. He insisted that admins must demand proof before allowing such content and warned of possible arrest and detention for non-compliance.
This directive comes amid a broader trend where social media platforms have become vital tools for exposing corruption and enabling public discourse. Notable scandals—such as the COVID-19 procurement scandal exposed by journalist Hopewell Chin’ono and Al Jazeera’s gold smuggling investigation—first gained traction online, particularly on WhatsApp and Twitter.
Civil society organizations have strongly criticized the minister’s statement, arguing that it imposes an unrealistic burden on ordinary citizens and amounts to state-sanctioned censorship. They warn that this move will chill free expression, discourage whistleblowing, and erode digital civic space, especially in a context where traditional media is already constrained. By criminalizing unverified speech and deputizing citizens to police each other, the government is fostering self-censorship, weakening freedom of association and expression, and shrinking the enabling environment for civil society. This development signals a deepening of digital authoritarianism in Zimbabwe, where online spaces are increasingly surveilled and controlled.