The Zimbabwe High Court has ruled that internet blackout ordered by Minister of State for National Security, Owen Mudha Ncube, last week is illegal as the Minister does not have such powers.
The government blocked the entire internet on two separate occasions last week alone and mainstream social media sites like WhatsApp, YouTube, Twitter and FaceBook are no longer working.
People are accessing them via proxies now known as internet black market.
A decision in favour of Zimbabwe citizens was made by Harare High Court judge Justice Owen Tagu after Misa-Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) filed an urgent chamber application challenging the directive and arguing that the directive was illegal and in contravention of the constitution as well as international law.
Advocate Eric Matinenga who was representing Misa-Zimbabwe and the ZLHR argued that the Minister of State in the President’s does not have the authority to issue any directives under the Interception of Communications Act as this role is reserved solely for President Emmerson Mnangagwa who is currently out of the country.
