SECTOR 1 1.8 Public information is easily guaranteed by law, to all citizens. accessible, Analysis: The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) gives the general public access to public information. The criteria for gaining access to information in the hands of government are, however, very restrictive, as is the process. Only the heads of public bodies are allowed to respond to requests for information. In the case of the police, only two people are allowed to comment – the police commissioner or the police spokesperson. They often refuse to provide information or are simply unavailable particularly to journalists from the privately owned media. Citizens requiring information from a public body are expected to put their request in writing and the institution has 30 days to reply. If the application is delayed beyond this period or denied, the applicant can then complain to the minister concerned – the same minister whose ministry refused access in the first place. There have been a number of cases where journalists submitted a request for information on a certain issue. All of these were neither denied nor complied with. For all these reasons, there are no real incentives or precedents for making use of the provisions of AIPPA to access information. They seem to be disregarded by both the public and the government. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator. 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 22 1.9 (2008: 1.2 ; 2006: 1.1) AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZIMBABWE 2010