Zimbabwe’s controversial cyber security and privacy bill sent back

The return to the committee stage was because the proposed legislation contained an error and corrections need to be made, the Senate’s deputy president Michael Nyambuya said.

The development opens up the possibility of amendments being proposed, debated and passed before a third reading takes place again, according to local media. 

The Media Institute of Southern Africa Zimbabwe has recommended the bill be broken up into three separate laws covering cyber security, electronic transactions and data protection. As those areas are so diverse, it is difficult to draft a coherent, single law covering all three, it argues.

Transparency International and Transparency International Zimbabwe say the bill contains provisions which will obstruct civil society and media in the fight against corruption.