Source: Enact law to protect national infrastructure, Government told – herald
Nyore Madzianike
Senior Reporter
The Government must urgently consider the enactment of legislation that specifically addresses the protection of critical national infrastructure in all sectors of the economy, which are increasingly exposed to both State-sponsored and non-State cyber threats.
Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda made the urgent call while presenting on ‘enhancing national security through effective legislation: Zimbabwe’s Parliamentary Imperative before National Defence Course No.14 of 2025 at the Zimbabwe National Defence University (ZNDU)in Harare.
The Commandant and Vice-Chancellor of the ZNDU, Air Vice Marshall Micheal Tedzani Moyo and senior military officers attended the presentation.
Advocate Mudenda said the country is now faced with undisputed sophistication in this era of Artificial Intelligence application, which needs such a piece of legislation.
“In particular, Zimbabwe must urgently consider the enactment of legislation specifically addressing the protection of critical national infrastructure, encompassing the energy, water, financial and communications sectors, which are increasingly exposed to both State-sponsored and non-State cyber threats of unprecedented sophistication in this era of Artificial Intelligence application,” he said.
Advocate Mudenda said that while the Government had made notable strides in strengthening the legal framework governing national security, more needed to be done to keep pace with rapidly evolving threats.
“In enacting this law, Parliament directly addressed a critical lacuna in Zimbabwe’s national security regulatory framework for cyberspace and data protection,” he said.
He cited international best practice, pointing to Estonia’s response following a major cyberattack, which saw that country overhauling its digital security architecture.
Advocate Mudenda emphasised the need for continuous legislative review to match the fast-changing threat landscape.
“In the circumstances, Parliament must remain vigilant to ensure that this legislation is regularly reviewed and updated as the threat landscape continues to evolve with alacrity,” he said.
The Speaker also highlighted the importance of the National Security Council Act in strengthening coordination at the highest level of Government.
“The promulgation of the National Security Council Act (H.B. 2, 2022) further consolidated Zimbabwe’s security legislative framework by establishing a coherent statutory framework for the coordination of national security policy at the apex of government.
“Notwithstanding these advances, the rapid proliferation of social media platforms continues to pose threats to national security through the industrialised dissemination of misinformation and disinformation, the deployment of deepfake technologies, the weaponisation of Artificial Intelligence tools for subversive purposes and the systematic incitement of hatred and communal discord,” he said.
He added that such developments required urgent legislative attention.
“These developments present urgent and largely uncharted legislative frontiers that Zimbabwe’s current statute book has not yet adequately addressed.
“Government must, with appropriate urgency, commission a comprehensive review of Zimbabwe’s information and communications legislation, with a view to developing fit-for-purpose provisions that address these emerging threats while scrupulously preserving the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of expression and the media enshrined in sections 61 and 62 of the Constitution.
“The balance between security and liberty for expression is never self-executing. It must be actively legislated, carefully calibrated and continuously reviewed,” he said.
The Speaker also welcomed the recent launch of the Zimbabwe Artificial Intelligence Strategy, describing it as a key step towards strengthening the legislative framework.
“That is why the recent launch of the Zimbabwe Artificial Intelligence Strategy by His Excellency, President Dr E.D. Mnangagwa, is absolutely compelling and should lead towards a robust legislation thereof,” he said.
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