Everything Wrong about the Internet Shutdown in Zimbabwe

Two questions immediately came to my mind. First, who in the President’s Office dare, by a stroke of the pen, decide how I use the internet? Second, at a time when every other country is doing all things possible to maximize the benefits in modern technology, what kind of government will shut the internet for no reason?

A Necessary Battle for Masiyiwa?

By the way, ECONET is a privately owned telecommunications company whose majority shareholder, Strive Masiyiwa is in self-imposed exile. So, how does a private company submit to authoritarian bullying in a constitutional democracy?

Then again, I realized that Masiyiwa and his wife, Tsitsi, are embroiled in a cyber war with Zimbabweans after former ZANU-PF (the ruling party) Information Minister, Jonathan Moyo—also in exile—disclosed that Masiyiwa had unlawful relations with Emmerson Mnangagwa and the party.

Masiyiwa enjoys an iconic status not just as a successful businessman, but also because of his support for the struggle towards democracy. If he really wanted, he could have basically not care about these detractors.

But since millions of ECONET customers have a contractual relationship with that company to protect our communications interest, one expect Masiyiwa to defy any statutory order that violates the constitutional right to information.

Read more: https://www.africanliberty.org/2019/01/24/internet-shutdown-in-zimbabwe/