ZIMBABWE SUMMARY Organisation Website Request for information Total score 1. Chipinge Rural District Council 0 14 14 2. Chitungwiza Municipality 5 6 11 3. Environmental Management Agency 14 12 26 4. Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe 9 8 17 5. Ministry of Health and Child Care 16 8 24 6. Ministry of Mines and Mining Development 0 14 14 7. Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education 10 15 25 8. Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development 0 12 12 9. Mutare City Council 1 11 12 0 14 14 10. Zimbabwe School Examinations Council RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS y y y RECOMMENDATIONS Apart from three organisations, all the rest scored badly. Several organisations claimed that information requests were not received. Of the ten organisations surveyed, the following had no functional websites: Chipinge Rural District Council; Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development; and Ministry of Mines and Mining. y Organisations should be encouraged to use online platforms to disseminate information to the public. y The new legislation on access to information, as set out in the Freedom of Information Act, should be continuously evaluated. y The new information law insists on written information requests but when the offices are closed, citizens may be denied the ability to exercise their rights. The law needs to be flexible on the format of how information requests can be received. Although six organisations acknowledged receipt of the information requests, only two responded well to the requests for information. THE MOST SECRETIVE PUBLIC ORGANISATION IN ZIMBABWE THE MOST OPEN PUBLIC ORGANISATION IN ZIMBABWE The Chitungwiza Municipality did not respond to the requests for information. A senior official stated that they did not receive the request and recommended that the requests be resubmitted through email. The Environmental Management Agency has a partially up to date website and is active on social media. Although they were unable to provide the information requested, they explained their reasons. Therefore, the 2020 Golden Padlock Award goes to Chitungwiza Municipality. Therefore, the 2020 Golden Key Award goes to the Environmental Management Agency. RETURN TO CONTENTS PAGE 198