HARARE – Minister of Information Technology, Hon. Tatenda Mavetera, has issued a statement dismissing claims that WhatsApp group administrators will be required to obtain government licences. The minister clarified that a viral LinkedIn post, which attributed this alleged licensing requirement to her, is “malicious fake news.”
In her statement on X (formerly Twitter), Mavetera distanced herself from the rumours, calling the claim of a USD 2,500 penalty for WhatsApp and other social media platform group administrators completely false. The minister emphasised that the government has no intentions to license or penalise administrators in the way described.
“This claim is not applicable, especially to players who do not collect and process Personally Identifiable Information (PII) for commercial or business use,” Mavetera stated. She further clarified that PII includes any data that can be used to identify an individual, such as names, addresses, phone numbers, passport information, and ID numbers.
Mavetera encouraged the public to “disregard this notice with the utmost discontent it deserves,” describing the claim as inconsistent with Zimbabwe’s legal framework. She cited the relevant legislation—Statutory Instrument (SI) 155 of the 2024 Cyber and Data Protection (Licensing of Data Controllers and Appointment of Data Protection Officers) Regulations—as evidence that the alleged requirement does not align with current regulations.
The minister’s response highlights ongoing concerns over misinformation on social media platforms, with this latest incident demonstrating the rapid spread of unverified claims that could cause public confusion.