By A Correspondent
Tatenda Mavetera, Zimbabwe’s Minister of ICT, has reversed her earlier threat to prosecute WhatsApp administrators who do not obtain a $2500 license.
The Minister deleted her previous announcement and issued a public retraction following widespread criticism. The policy was first exposed by ZimEye news network two days ago. When asked why it took four days to address the issue, Mavetera responded on X, explaining that she had been traveling non-stop for 12,145 km. She also issued a public apology to the people of Zimbabwe for the confusion.
ZimEye, which has been holding the government to account for over 16 years, has conducted numerous investigations, including the in-depth “Gold Mafia” series in partnership with Al Jazeera. Their ongoing commitment is to thoroughly investigate stories of significance to the African public.
Minister Mavetera’s Statement:
In her statement on Saturday, Mavetera sought to distance herself from the false claim that the government intended to impose a $2500 license or penalties on WhatsApp group administrators. She clarified:
“I would like to refute the malicious false claims that the government intends to license or penalize WhatsApp groups or administrators. This claim is not applicable to platforms that do not collect or process Personally Identifiable Information (PII) for commercial or business purposes.”
PII includes data like names, addresses, phone numbers, passport information, and ID numbers that can be used to identify individuals.
Mavetera further urged the public to disregard the misleading announcement, calling it inconsistent with existing legal provisions under Statutory Instrument (SI) 155 of the 2024 Cyber and Data Protection Regulations. She emphasized that in her LinkedIn post, she never indicated any intention to regulate or penalize WhatsApp groups that do not process PII for business purposes.
The Minister reassured the public that the government, through the Ministry of ICT, remains committed to advancing cyber and data security, ensuring that no one is left offline.
This aligns with the constitutional mandate to promote universal access to information in a safe and secure environment.