ZIMBABWE TRANSPARENCY ASSESSMENT REPORT INTRODUCTION Zimbabwe has recently repealed the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), passed in 2002, and enacted the Freedom of Information Act in July 2020. This has led to the launch of new community radio stations and the establishment of community information centres. However, the cost of internet access has remained relatively high. SYNOPSIS OF THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT AND GENERAL REGULATIONS The Freedom of Information Act gives effect to the right of access to information (ATI) as provided by the constitution. Subsequently, the Freedom of Information General Regulations were promulgated in September 2021 and came into force in March 2022. These regulations obligate entities to publish information on their institutions within six months of enacting the regulations and, for those established after the enactment, within six months from the entity’s establishment date. Information to be published includes the institution’s functions, departments and agencies, operating hours, business addresses, and a description of the nature or subject of the information that the entity holds. Entities must also appoint information officers to handle information requests and track all applications. The Zimbabwe Media Commission, following the enactment of FOIA, conducted a series of sensitisation meetings on the Act that targeted representatives from public institutions. It also issued compliance orders to public institutions to release information to citizens. These compliance orders have the same force as a High Court order. However, Zimbabwe has also enacted legislation that has a clawback effect on the progressive provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, such as Section 164(C) of the Cyber and Data Protection Act, which criminalises the transmission of false data messages. This promotes self-censorship, particularly among journalists. Some journalists, such as Wisdom Mdzungairi and Desmond Chingarande from Alpha Media Holdings and freelance reporters Hope Chizuzu and Thembelihle Mhlanga, were recently charged with transmitting false data messages and cyberbullying. Zimbabwe passed the Patriot Act in July 2023, an amendment to the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. This legislation is expected to restrict the civil space in the country further. The Private Voluntary Organisations Amendment Bill is now in the final stages of being enacted and will also limit democratic space. These laws reverse the progress made by passing the Freedom of Information Act. When compiling this report, Zimbabwe was preparing for elections, and other indicators showed the state of ATI was not ideal. These include the failure of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation to provide balanced and fair coverage to all political interests as recommended by various election observer reports and the High Court of Zimbabwe following the last election in 2018. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMUNITY INFORMATION CENTRES The government of Zimbabwe, through the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) under the Universal Services Fund (USF), commissioned 170 community information centres out of a target of 202. POTRAZ, in its first quarter abridged report of 2023, reported that the total number of active internet and data subscriptions stood at 9.9 million as of 31 March 2023, with VSAT once more recording the biggest growth in subscriptions. The growth has been attributed to the new deployments under the community networks project (establishment of community information centres). While this is commendable in bridging the urban-rural digital divide, it is also imperative to note that many reports and articles have cited the underutilisation of commissioned CICs. Some contributing factors identified are lack of equipment, poor connectivity, unstable networks and poorly trained staff. 110