POTRAZ attributed this to an increase in mobile subscriptions which rose from 13,799,648 compared to 13,311,223 during the previous quarter. However, the Minister of ICTs, Supa Mandiwanzira, said while the penetration had hit the 95% mark, the statistics might be misleading. He said this could be so because a number of people have two or three mobile lines each. With an estimated population of 13 million, this could mean that almost every citizen now has a mobile phone. This comes at a time when the minister is on record saying a suitable pricing model for the country would be arrived at following the conclusion of a survey currently being undertaken by POTRAZ. The survey is being conducted to establish the cost of landing bandwidth in the country by Mobile Network Operators. In January 2017, the minister issued a directive for the suspension of an increase in mobile network voice and data charges following a public outcry. While this was commendable in the context of citizens’ right to communicate and share information, according to Research ICT Africa, Zimbabwe’s data charges remain the third highest on the continent. The cheapest monthly 1 GB data package in the country is set at $30. As the prices of Internet enabled smartphones have steadily dropped, more Zimbabweans are connecting to the Internet via these mobile devices. This is reflected in the quarterly reports published by POTRAZ in the past two years. As mentioned earlier in this report, these developments came at a time of spirited efforts by government to enact cybercrime laws. In his address during the opening of the 5th Session of the 8th Parliament, President Robert Mugabe, before his removal, expressed hope that Parliament would debate and finalise the three cyber law related Bills Zimbabwe has been working on since mid-2013. With that in mind, the government created the Ministry of Cybersecurity, Mitigation and Threat Detection. At face value, such actions give the impression that the Zimbabwean government is taking serious measures to combat any potential cyber threats. Government efforts in combating online criminal activity have resulted in the passing of the National ICT Policy, the National Cyber Security Policy (both in 2016), and the updating of the draft Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Bill, which is currently in its third draft. On paper, these policies are aimed at fighting cybercrime in Zimbabwe in a manner which also purports to promote fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. 14