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On Tuesday, fifty members of the Midlands Province’s Zanu-PF Youth League were given smartphones to improve their digital skills in order to combat internet threats against the ruling party. The action is said to be a component of a larger plan to strengthen the party’s internet visibility and defence against cyberattacks. Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution, was responsible for handing over the smart phones to the youths during a brief function that was held in Kwekwe.
Smartphones are a response to the new threat posed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), according to Minister Ncube, the Zanu-PF Midlands Province Secretary for Security. Critics are lamenting, while Zimbabwe is in shambles, those in power are using funds to arm ‘keyboard warriors’, one phone at a time. The motive behind these apparent noble deeds are raising several eyebrows and are being seen as attempts made to regain reigns over the internet and silence the masses.
By Gamuchirai Mapako
“It is a great honour for me to preside over this event where we are handing over 50 Itel hand-sets to our youths in party structures.
“The idea behind this is to build groups of cyber warriors who confront the enemy in familiar territory,” he said.
According to Minister Ncube, the “enemies of progress” consistently disparage every government endeavour, initiative, or development through their proxies, undermining the interests of the country. According to him, it is important to remember that the forefathers fought the whites with spears during the First Chimurenga and with guns during the Second Chimurenga.
“On the current threats to national security and sovereignty, the war is about ideas propagated on social media platforms…We need to take that war to this front using the various social media tools,” said Minister Ncube.
This move has been interpreted by many as encouraging cyberbullying and inciting violence amongst the youths. Those responsible for these ‘donations’ are ignoring crucial matters like infrastructural development, provision of healthcare, employment and good governance.
Social media has become a public sphere where people can openly express their grievances and hunting people down for practising their right to freedom of expression is a human right violation and should be recognised as such.
These powerful forces are directing their attention to the ordinary citizens rightfully demanding change, labelling them as enemies of the government. On the other side of the coin ignoring the very questionable splurging of large amounts of money on cars and holidays by rich socialites without posing questions that require them to take accountability and proof of source of funds.
Most critics argue that the laws governing social media in Zimbabwe exist only on paper but not in practice. There is freedom of expression but freedom after expression is not guaranteed.
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