Proportional Representation legislator Miriam Chikukwa has called on Parliament to speed up the process of coming up with a Cybersecurity and Data Protection Bill.
She said Zimbabwe is currently vulnerable to cyber-attacks and delays in the Bill which is already before Parliament will not help.
The Cybersecurity and Data Protection Bill which was gazette in 2020 is currently in the Second Reading stage in the National Assembly.
Speaking recently, Honourable Chikukwa said the law will address cyber-crime issues as well as increase cybersecurity in the country.
“The Cybersecurity and Data Protection Bill which intends to address cyber-crime concerns and increase cybersecurity in order to build confidence and trust in the use of ICT’s is still with us.
“I am urging the legislature so that we can speed up in finalising the Bill and make it a law so that we can protect ourselves from these crimes.
“These are my own recommendations with regard to enhancing cybersecurity: – that the Ministry of information must be adequately funded to enable them to sensitise the public about cyber-crime; that we as Parliament expedite the passing of the Cybersecurity and Data Protection Bill into an Act,” she said.
According to Honourable Chikukwa, about 140 cases of cyber-crimes were reported in the country between the period 2011 and 2015.
She said these included:- phishing – 20; credit cards fraud – 13; identity theft – 10; unauthorised access -24; hacking -72 and telecommunication piracy – 1.
“These statistics are evidence of Zimbabwe’s vulnerability to computer and cyber-crimes and thus the pressing need to legalise the frameworks to combat these crimes before they become pervasive,” she said.
While the existence of cyber threats are genuine, most Zimbabweans are not trusting that the government will end at protecting citizens.
Others view the Bill as efforts to restrict the use of the internet and social media to organise in Zimbabwe. #CyberBillZW
