By A Correspondent- Law expert, Advocate Fadzayi Mahere has described the move by the state to search Econet and Cassava offices and seize full subscribers’ details as a “far-reaching breach of privacy.”

Mahere who is also the spokesperson of the opposition MDC Alliance speaks after police, equipped with a warrant by a Magistrate, on Friday executed a search and seizure warrant at Money Laundering-accused Econet Wireless and Cassava’s main offices in Harare.

Posting on Twitter, Mahere said:

“Full subscriber details” of each user means they have your name, cellphone number, address and all EcoCash records for the relevant period. This is a far-reaching breach of privacy. Imagine what  @PoliceZimbabwe  can do in this authoritarian environment with such extensive data.

The development comes after the government recently suspended all mobile money operators – Econet’s Ecocash, NetOne’s OneMoney and Telecel’s Telecash, together with the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange on the basis that they were fuelling illegal forex dealing.

This came as the local currency continued to lose value at a paraffin speed on the parallel market, to the displeasure of the state that wanted to convince the public that reintroduction of the Zimbabwe dollar was the best move to curb inflation and kickstart economic growth.