THE LAW THAT GOVERNS DATA PROTECTION IN ZIMBABWE
With the new era of technological advancement where communication has become cyber based. A number of regulations have been put in place to combat cybercrimes and bullying around the world.
Zimbabwe through the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (POTRAZ) has not been left alone and it has also enacted a law in the form of THE DATA PROTECTION ACT (DPA), which seeks to govern how data is transmitted and shared within the Zimbabwean borders.
The Data Protection Act as it is affectionately known was enacted in December 2021 and is meant to consolidate cyber related offences and provide for data protection with due regards to the Declaration of Rights under the Constitution.
The Data Protection Act Zimbabwe states that data must be processed fairly and lawfully and that it is collected for the specified, explicit and legitimate purpose. Data handlers are expected to ensure that data collection modes are in compliance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act.
The Act aims at creating a technology driven business environment and encourage technology development and the lawful use of technology.
The Data Protection Act Zimbabwe consolidates several pieces of legislation that govern cyber security and data protection. These include, The Postal and Telecommunication Act, Official Secrecy Act, Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act), Interceptions of Communication Act and the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act.
These Zimbabwean laws are also meant to ensure that data handlers protect the information of data subjects. The Data Protection Act Zimbabwe also ensures that the rights of data subjects are protected.
Through the enactment of the law POTRAZ ensured that rights of data subjects include but are not limited to the right to be informed about their personal information in the hands of handlers as well as the right to modification which entails data subjects have the right to correct false or misleading personal information.
The Data Protection Act Zimbabwe seeks to increase data protection in order to build confidence and trust in the secure use of information and communication technologies by data controllers, their representatives and data subjects.
The Data Protection Act Zimbabwe of 2021 has ensured that the country now has a law that regulate and govern the cyber space.