Cabinet announced, introducing the Ministry of ICT and Cyber Security

Just a few days back Techzim wrote about how we were anticipating for the new cabinet to be an effective one, same anticipation that the rest of Zimbabwe had to be fair.

Well, the cabinet has been announced but for this particular article I will focus on just one of the ministries, the Ministry of Information Communication Technology and Cyber Security. Yes, that’s a new one… the merge between the ICT and the Cyber Security ministry that most were crying for.

When the cabinet was reshuffled a few weeks back, a new ministry was introduced; the Ministry of Cyber Security, Threat, Mitigation and Detection. This ministry was received differently across the country, with some calling it downright unnecessary while some thought we actually we needed it. However, in all these arguments, the general consensus was yes cyber security could be important to us, but it definitely didn’t deserve an entire ministry solely dedicated to it.

Turns out the cries did not fall on deaf ears since in the new cabinet not only was Cyber security retained, but it was not set as a stand alone ministry. That’s a good story. In fact most people had recommended that cyber security falls under the Ministry of ICT and technically it has, though the more accurate thing to say there would be that Cyber security is now an extension of the ICT ministry.

Now the question is, will the aspect of Cyber security in this new ministry still translate to Social media clampdown? We have hope that since the cry that Cyber security did not deserve it’s own ministry in Zimbabwe yet was heard, then the one to not downgrade Cyber Security to Social media will also be heard.

Now that we know about this new ministry, the next thing we care about is who heads it?

Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you see it, Supa Mandiwanzira is back as the Minister of that ministry. (I say back since he is the one who was heading the ministry of ICT, Postal and Courier services before it was dissolved). Hon Mandiwanzira ha(s/d) been heading that ministry since December 2014 and I believe that’s ample time for one to prove themself as worthy or not.

It is for that reason that we’re going to evaluate the work that he’s been doing and then conclude whether the right word up there is fortunate or unfortunate, but until then!

PS: Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not doing that evaluation now, well at least not in this article… but yes, that article is coming.