Zimbabwe’s growing digital economy presents enormous opportunities for businesses, entrepreneurs and consumers, making the Government’s investigation into reported WhatsApp
Business account takeovers an important opportunity to strengthen confidence in the country’s digital future.
As more enterprises embrace online communication, digital advertising and mobile payments, protecting these platforms becomes essential to sustaining commerce, encouraging innovation and ensuring that technology continues to improve how Zimbabweans conduct business and connect.
Information, Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Minister Tatenda Mavetera on Tuesday confirmed that investigations are underway, with her ministry engaging the affected mobile network operator and other relevant stakeholders to establish how the reported incidents occurred and identify appropriate responses.
The involvement of the Zimbabwe Republic Police Cyber Crime Division alongside engagement with telecommunications partners and Meta demonstrates the importance of coordinated action when digital threats potentially affect individuals, businesses and the wider economy.
Minister Mavetera has emphasised that investigators must establish responsibility through evidence, an important commitment to ensuring that the response remains credible, transparent and focused on addressing the actual causes of the reported account compromises.
The immediate priority should be helping affected users recover their accounts, protecting potentially exposed financial information and ensuring that businesses resume normal operations while investigators work to establish what happened and recommend safeguards against similar incidents.
International experience offers useful lessons for Zimbabwe, showing that account takeovers are manageable cybersecurity challenges when authorities, technology companies, telecommunications providers and users work together to strengthen authentication and respond quickly to suspicious activity.
In Singapore, for instance, police have warned about criminals hijacking WhatsApp accounts after persuading users to disclose verification codes, subsequently impersonating victims to solicit money from their contacts and potentially extending the fraud to additional victims.
India has also documented WhatsApp-related fraud targeting businesses, including attacks involving malicious files disguised as legitimate business documents, demonstrating why organisations need robust digital safeguards and reliable procedures for verifying financial instructions.
In March 2026, Dutch intelligence agencies warned about sophisticated attempts to compromise
WhatsApp and Signal accounts belonging to officials, military personnel and journalists, highlighting the importance of vigilance even among technologically experienced users.
These international examples do not establish that Zimbabwe’s reported incidents followed identical methods but demonstrate why investigators must establish the facts while businesses and individuals strengthen their own digital security.
In the immediate term, we urge members of the public to never share verification codes or passwords, enable WhatsApp two-step verification, use official applications, keep software updated and regularly remove unfamiliar linked devices.
Businesses should complement these measures by limiting access to advertising and payment accounts, independently confirming changes to banking details and ensuring employees understand how to identify suspicious messages and fraudulent payment instructions.
Anyone who suspects an account has been compromised should follow WhatsApp’s official recovery procedures, warn contacts through another communication channel and report the incident to their mobile network operator and the police.
Where financial transactions are involved, victims should contact their banks or mobile-money providers immediately to seek assistance with suspicious payments, secure affected accounts and preserve transaction references and screenshots that could assist investigations.
Mobile network operators and Meta have an opportunity to reinforce public confidence by providing accessible recovery support, communicating verified information promptly and working with investigators to identify vulnerabilities requiring corrective action.
The Government can use the investigation to strengthen national cybersecurity through clearer public guidance, accessible reporting mechanisms and closer cooperation between regulators, law enforcement, telecommunications providers and technology companies.
The reported account takeovers should not discourage Zimbabweans from embracing digital commerce but should encourage a more secure and informed approach that allows businesses to benefit from technology while managing its associated risks.
Zimbabwe can turn this challenge into lasting progress by combining effective investigations, responsible platform management and public awareness, making stronger cybersecurity a foundation for trust, innovation and sustainable growth in the digital economy.
