Zimbabwe's Interception of Communications Bill

By Ayinde
rastafaritimes@yahoo.com
June 15, 2007

The Zimbabwe legislators passed an "Interception of Communications Bill" which would allow agents of the government to intercept telephonic, e-mail and cellphone messages.

BBC reports: "Zimbabwe's internet providers have strongly condemned the bill passed this week to allow the government to monitor e-mails and other communications."

The Zimbabwe government proposes to utilize technology, similar to what the US and UK use in their national security interest, but because this is being done in Zimbabwe under the leadership of Robert Mugabe, it is being reported as another human rights abuse.

News 24 reports: "The bill proposes the setting up of an interception of communications monitoring centre run by people appointed by the government...Under the proposed law the communications minister will be authorised to issue warrants for intercepting communications in cases where there are believed to be threats to national security."

Many people, including myself, do not like governments having access to our private mail and online activities, and it is in this vein I am generally opposed to all governments' snooping activities. But if people condone these measures in the US, Britain and South Africa (just to name a few nations that have such laws), then why should Zimbabwe not have similar laws?

Zimbabweans as well as their government are being subjected to sanctions and other destabilization activities from angry White farmers with their opposition sympathizers, the White-owned mainstream media, and the US, UK and other European governments. The authorities in Zimbabwe foiled a plot that was hatched in Britain to overthrow the government in Equatorial Guinea. There are also allegations of attempts to overthrow the Zimbabwe government. When it comes to who and what is being seriously threatened, the Zimbabwe government is more than qualified to implement measures to catch and prosecute those who seek to terrorize its citizens and overthrow its government.

Condemning the Zimbabwe government for implementing what other countries are "legally" doing in the interest of their security is part of the ongoing hypocritical campaign to destabilize Zimbabwe and demonize its government.

Ever since the Zimbabwe government turned away from the IMF and World Bank policies in the late 1990's, the White interest in Zimbabwe, together with the US, UK and other European governments have been trying to destabilize and topple the government.

The attempts to demonize President Robert Mugabe and wreak hardship on the poor citizens intensified when the government started seizing farms that were occupied by colonial Whites and distributing them to Africans in Zimbabwe. The efforts to redress the land issue in Zimbabwe, which was a legacy of the colonial era where Africans were herded on reservations and their land seized, left a minority of Whites with the most and best agricultural land in Zimbabwe. Britain reneged on the agreement to fund the land reform program, and the Zimbabwe government proceeded redistributing land seized to Africans. This process has been thoroughly condemned by the US and other European governments but has generally been applauded by Africans in and out of Africa.

Email: zimbabwecrisis@yahoo.com

Visit: Zimbabwe Watch

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