the regulation of the Internet as provided for by the revised African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights’ Declaration of Freedom of Expression and Access to Information. In crafting this Bill, Zimbabwe should thus be guided by African regional and continental instruments that include the SADC Model Law on Computer Crime and Cybercrime, SADC Model Law on Data Protection, the African Convention on Cyber Security and Data Protection, and African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms. Meanwhile, if implemented, some of the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, will go a long way in giving effect to Sections 61 and 62 of the Constitution which provide for freedom of expression, media freedom and access to information. Of concern though, among other contentious issues, is the fact that the new law ignores overwhelming submissions by citizens during public hearings into the Freedom of Information Bill before its passage in Parliament, pertaining to the roles of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) and Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC). Overwhelming submissions were made on the need for appeals relating to denial of information requests to be lodged with the ZHRC, or a competent court of law, and not with the ZMC as its constitutional mandate is on media regulation. More still needs to be done though as the country is still littered and polluted by a plethora of restrictive laws such as the Official Secrets Act, Censorship and Entertainment Controls Act, Interception of Communications Act and certain sections of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, which have a bearing on the exercise and enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression, media freedom and access to information. Broadcasting Six months into 2020, the government’s promise to licence six new television stations, was still to materialise, thereby perpetuating the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation’s monopoly and ownership of the country’s sole television station, Zimbabwe Television (ZTV). Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting, Monica Mutsvangwa in 2019, in a question and answer session in the Senate then, said the television stations would be in place in the first three months of 2020. While the country now has ‘private’ commercial radio stations, it was still to licence community radio stations during the first six months of this year, despite the government’s commitment to further free the airwaves and increase access to information. Commendably, in May this year, Great Zimbabwe University in Masvingo Province, became the first university in Zimbabwe to get a campus radio broadcasting licence. 8