Has Zimbabwe Set Up Team for Monitoring Social Media Posts?

The repression of basic freedoms in Zimbabwe has increased since Mnangagwa’s ascendancy through coup in 2017. In its efforts by his regime to end freedoms online Zimbabwe now says it has hired a team for monitoring social media posts. From VOA:

The Zimbabwean government says it has appointed a team to monitor social media posts in the country, according to a privately-owned newspaper.

NewsDay quoted Information Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa, as saying the government has “actually come up with a cyber-team that is constantly on social media to monitor what people send and receive since we cannot wish social media away.”

The newspaper quoted her saying all Zimbabweans and government officials should ensure that “whatever message they post on social media should be to build not to destroy the community.”

Zimbabwe is currently working on a Cyber-Security and Data Protection Bill with strict regulations for policing social media in the country.

Social media abusers will be severely punished and at the same time some provisions of the Bill allow the snooping on private communication among citizens.