admin
Nick Mangwana
Perm Secretary for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services
Most ground breaking events and occurrences in life are not just bitter or sweet. They tend to have an element of both taste, hence they are called bittersweets.
In plain English, bittersweet simply means something that arouses pleasure, which is tinged with some negative.
There are many examples of bittersweets, we have seen and experienced in Zimbabwe, but in this piece, I will argue that the approval for the licencing of Starlink to operate in Zimbabwe is one such an occurrence.
When President Mnangagwa informed the nation of this game changing happening, euphoria was apparent in the social media spaces. Nyika yakafara ende irikufara as we await its official licencing by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ).
This is the sweet part. There are more sweet bits to it and we will try to cover them here. One of the bitter part is that some local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are gnashing their teeth.
It is prudent that we explore the various economic and personal benefits to be realised from a reliable, high speed and low-cost internet service in Zimbabwe.
Equally important is the need to deal with the downside of this and the irresponsible use of such a facility. This is the tinge of bitter. Thus, today I come with a gentle, legal reminder if you may, amidst the euphoria as people anticipate cheaper internet connectivity.
I agree with most of you, that the provision of such was long overdue. As a result, Zimbabwe’s efforts at establishing a digital economy, its efforts at being a welcoming tourist destination and indeed its aspirations of becoming an upper middle-income society by 2030, was being slowed down by the nature of our mobile network infrastructure and internet connectivity.
Under the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) which feeds into the Vision 2030, Information Communication Technologies are assigned a key role as enablers of economic development.
To strengthen this role, President Mnangagwa in March this year, launched three policies. These are the Reviewed Zimbabwe National Policy for Information Communication Technology, The Zimbabwe National Broadband Plan and the Smart Zimbabwe 2030 Master Plan.
Among other things, the three policies promote the use of ICTs, build confidence in Governments e-Commerce platforms, promote the establishment of a highly connected information society and enable universal and reliable broadband network services.
All this is of course aimed at ensuring that the country achieves a fully digitalised upper middle income economy by 2030.
Back to Starlink, for me, the most exciting thing on the coming of reliable and affordable medium of information exchange is the development that it triggers.
Our rural areas are sparsely populated with long distances between homesteads and long distances between the villages themselves. Building communication infrastructure systems leaving no one and no place behind becomes an arduous task in those circumstances.
Satellite communication systems such as Starlink or VSAT are the most viable options compared to fibre optics or base stations.
This is the kind of thing that ensues a digital economy. By way of definition, a digital economy is an economic system that is based on digital technologies such as the internet and mobile devices.
Digital banking, online shopping, telemedicine, e-learning, mobile payments, online advertising and social media. These are some examples of what constitutes a digital economy. And that is where Zimbabwe is headed.
For the country to get there faster, affordable and reliable internet connectivity is a must. Be it for local business players, visitors or investors. Local citizens and visitors alike should be able to conduct business from anywhere in Zimbabwe without fear that the network connection will fail.
Having a satellite-based internet service means that areas that were previously in the dark so to speak, because of absence of optic fibre connection, can now catch up with the rest of the world.
Think of schools in remote areas and the learners that can now fully partake in the new Heritage based education. Think of the hospitals and clinic personnel that can now keep up with the latest in medical developments through connecting with their counterparts anywhere in the world.
Think of easier connectivity with remote areas in times of disaster where timely information dissemination is key. More importantly, think of how Government services and communication with its publics will be improved to greater heights than currently obtains.
That is what awaits Zimbabwe. Technology fosters economy. The two are links of the same chain.
Thus the coming in of new players such as Starlink has the potential to unlock this platform that is generating billions of dollars for other countries. Think of all those computers and laptops the President has rolled out across the country and the tremendous role they will play in leapfrogging learning outcomes.
Think of the rural folks that needed to be mainstreamed through accessing distance learning. They no longer need to be part of a rural to urban migrating lot to have the same opportunities as their urban based counterparts.
There is no question that this is an opportunity to bridge the Rural Urban divide. We are increasingly experiencing disasters particularly due to the negative effects of climate change and we need robust disaster management system.
Without a digital footprint covering every square inch of our sovereign territory we are going to experience avoidable loss of life and limb.
One of the buzzword in Zimbabwe these days is the smart. Smart City, Smart Traffic, Smart Policing and the list goes on. At the heart of all this is internet connectivity. It is the enabler. Now we can see our digital destination on the horizon, something we couldn’t say a few weeks ago before this development.
At a personal or individual level, who doesn’t appreciate low data costs? Who doesn’t want stable internet connectivity? Imagine the possibilities. Oh this is so sweet. But where is the tinge of bitter?
Well, this is the part where I come in with a timely caution. Cheaper data should not translate to more abuse and online criminality.
For far too long, we have witnessed atrocious conduct by some individuals online. This varies from spreading of falsehoods, inciting people to violent acts, outright bullying, hate speech, targeted harassment and distribution of pornographic material. Do you know that all this is a crime under the Cyber and Data Protection Act of 2021?
By way of brief summary, the Cyber and Data Protection Act makes it a crime to send threatening and bullying messages to other people.
It is also a crime to send false messages and messages intended to incite violence and damage to property. In addition, the infamous revenge porn that some sections of our society seem to be fixated with, is also a serious crime.
This Act explicitly prohibits the sending of intimate images of a person without consent of that person. Production and distribution of racist and xenophobic material is also an offence, so is production and distribution of child pornography or exposing children to pornographic material.
People found guilty of the above listed and other crimes are liable to a fine or imprisonment. Ladies and gentlemen, don’t say you were not warned.
Now I have personally seen a number of people fall victim to such criminal acts as listed above and every time I have wondered why no one ever reports a case to our efficient Police service.
Even in cases where no complainant comes forward, why aren’t our law enforcement agents enforcing this law? If we take a lackadaisical approach to cybercrime, will we as a nation be able to contain it as more platforms become available? The answer is a resounding, negative.
The enactment and enforcement of laws against cybercrime has become increasingly necessary over the past years as technologies advance.
In Zimbabwe, the enforcement of the Cyber and Data Protection Act has never been more crucial as now. And before you say “vatanga vanhu vaya”, I urge you to look up on South Africa’s Cybercrimes Act (2020), Botswana’s Cybercrime and Computer related Crimes Act (2018) and Ghana’s Cyberscurity Act (2020), among others.
Yes, fellow countrymen and women, this is the digital age and we should fully embrace it and the opportunities that come with this very progressive decision by the President, but like everything else, including medicine, it comes with a long list of don’ts also known as contraindications.
Let’s just take some of these; when you eventually get access to cheap and accessible internet service, please don’t troll others, don’t cyberbully, don’t illegally track your spouse, don’t hack people, don’t make yourself susceptible to identity theft and by all means don’t spend all your time on gadgets and sites. There is a real life out there, away from the digital spaces.
Our lives have just changed for the better. We now hold our world in our hands as long as we can access the internet.
Every one of us can now engage in public diplomacy for our country. Let us all use this opportunity responsibly.
Online Reporter