Category: Government Regulation
Here’s your citizen’s guide to the Cyber Security & Data Protection Act
The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zimbabwe has today unveiled a guide to the Cyber Security and Data Protection Act. This outline is there so that ordinary Zimbabweans will be able to understand what the new act entails. This Guide intends to assist ordinary citizens, data protection advocates, human rights advocates, media organisations and […]
POTRAZ has started monitoring your calls. Here’s what you need to know
The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe’s (POTRAZ) call traffic monitoring system was commissioned today by the Minister for ICT, Hon. Jenfan Muswere. “Minister of ICT, Dr. J. Muswere commissioned the Telecommunications Traffic Monitoring System (TTMS) at POTRAZ today. The TTMS is a revenue assurance system that allows POTRAZ to track traffic by operators […]
Second-hand car importers to pay USD146 inspection fee (plus duty)
Anyone in Zimbabwe looking to import a second-hand car will now need to pay ZAR2,310.00 (or USD146) as part of a roadworthiness inspection. This starts on the 1st of June 2022 and the firm that was contracted to do this by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce is the EAA Company Limited. The statement by […]
Electricity is now pegged at 10.6 US cents per unit
ZETDC has announced a new electricity tariff adjustment where a unit of electricity of 1KWhr will now be pegged at 10.63 US cents with effect from today Sunday 15 May 2022. This will be what the tariff will be pegged against the RTGS at the official rate of the day. The statement reads: The Zimbabwe […]
The RBZ suspended InnBucks and Access Forex domestic transfers temporarily. Let’s discuss what that was all about.
In what came as a shock to most, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe ordered Simbisa Brands (Private) Ltd to cease operating InnBucks, its rewards and loyalty program (money transfer service) last week. The RBZ was concerned about the money transfer service part of InnBucks. According to the RBZ, InnBucks did not have the necessary approvals […]
You can now book e-passport applications online. Here’s how you do it
Online e-passport applications are here! Well, not exactly… The express e-passport portal/centre is now up and running but it appears that it is only there for booking appointments according to a report by The Sunday Mail. “The main purpose of the Express Centre is to bring convenience to those who need emergency passports. There are […]
[Update] Online e-passport application system 80% complete, expected to be ready in May
At this point we are used to being promised things that are not yet ready. The world over, everyone from governments to your local cobbler are guilty of premature promises. I can’t count how many times I have bought stuff only to be told it’s not yet ready after paying. The Zimbabwe government has made […]
ZINARA is “rebranding” & has allocated $17 billion to road rehabilitation
The Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (ZINARA) today held a press conference where it announced that it was undergoing a rebrand and will be allocating ZWL$17 billion towards road rehabilitation. The breakdown of the 2022 allocation is as follows: ROAD AUTHORITY ALLOCATION (ZWL$) DEPARTMENT OF ROADS HQ 6 337 065 357 DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT FUND HQ 4 […]
Beware of scammers promising to process e-passports for Zim diasporans
When the Zimbabwean government introduced e-passports at the end of 2021, it was met with both fanfare and outcry. The govt listened to its citizens and backtracked on one of the contentious announcements: Old passports will be valid until their expiry dates, not December 2023 as originally proposed. The rollout of equipment and the relevant […]
ZINARA releases new vehicle licencing fees
The Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) today published the new vehicle licencing fees as was stated in Statutory Instrument (SI) 29 of 2022. Statutory Instrument 29 of 2022. CAP. 13:14 Vehicle Registration and licensing (Amendment) Regulations. 2022 (No. 23) It is hererby notified that the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development has in terms of […]
ZINARA looking to ease tollgate payments issues with Frequent Travellers Express Pass FTEP
The Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) recently announced the launch of a new service called the Frequent Travellers Express Pass (FTEP) program. The initiative is there to give those who use the same tollgate(s) a means to expedite passage as they go about their business. ZINARA’s FTEP essentially is a pre-payment facility. The program is […]
E-passports: what you need to know before applying
E-passports are here and we have seen a few people on social media show off the new document which the government said earlier this week will become active internationally next Monday. However, as good as this all is, going to the passport office is not always a pleasant experience. Many Zimbos have an aversion to […]
Lawyer took govt to court over use of auction rate and SI 127. It went as you would expect.
Do you remember the whole SI 127 mess? We just don’t talk about it anymore because we have accepted our fate, hate it or love it, S1 127 is here to stay. One lawyer apparently did not get the memo and went to face the dragon for us simple folk. He wanted to rid us […]
You will be able to get an e-passport this week
The fiasco that has been the e-passport rollout is soon to hit its crescendo. According to a report by ZBC News, the company that was contracted to run the project (Garsu Pasaulis) said that all systems are a go for Zimbabweans to start applying in the next three days. “We are going to start issuing […]
Govt scraps CBZ US$20 e-passport application fee
It looks like the government has come to its senses and scrapped the US$20 application fee for e-passports according to Statutory Instrument No. 3 of 2022. The SI reads as follows: Statutory Instrument 3 of 2022. [CAP. 4:01 Citizenship (Passport Fees) Regulations. 2022 IT is hereby notified that the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural […]
e-passports: govt “breaks” CBZ monopoly, plus expiration date for old passports
Update 10/01/2022: First Capital Bank reached out and said that the report by NewsDay was incorrect. First Capital was not part of e-passport application fees process before and after the Statutory Instrument First Capital Bank has been anointed by the government as the second preferred bank, along with CBZ Holdings, that anyone looking to get […]
Why does CBZ have a monopoly on e-passport application fees?
Zimbabwe’s is finally making the switch to e-passports after more than 20 years when the technology was first deployed in Malaysia in 1998. I and many others don’t have too much of an issue with the change from a security standpoint. Zimbabweans will be able to access Automated Border Control terminals and home and abroad. […]
Everything you need to know about Zim’s new e-passport
So it looks like Zimbabwe is finally moving towards e-passports according to Statutory Instrument 273 of 2021, IT is hereby notified that the Minister has in terms of section 22 of the Citizenship of Zimbabwe Act (Chapter 4:01), made the following regulations: … The Minister hereby notifies that henceforth the Government will cease the issuance […]
Empty words from gvt, information officers not the same as information flow
Zimbabwe remains a democratic republic. Of course, we have had contested election results which undermine that. We also turn authoritarian when it suits us. So, there’s that too. The other thing we have consistently struggled with when it comes to democratic values is transparency. So, when the Freedom of Information Act was passed, few Zimbabweans […]