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Raymond Jaravaza, [email protected] 

INFORMATION on the operations of Government ministries, departments, and other state entities must be readily available to members of the public as gaps in information dissemination can easily be filled by social media speculators who normally peddle falsehoods that are not helpful to the citizenry.

This emerged during a stakeholders’ workshop organised by the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) in Bulawayo on Tuesday.

The meeting focused on educating participants about the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) which was enacted to promote transparency and accountability in Government.

Responding to a plenary session, ZMC executive secretary, Mr Godwin Phiri, urged information officers to disseminate information to the public effectively.

“It’s often said that social media is the black market of information and when information officers fail to disseminate information about public entities then social media will fill that gap with false narratives that mislead citizens of Zimbabwe,” he said.

“Social media keyboard warriors are quick to fill information gaps, roles that information officers are mandated to fill at law by provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.”

Mr Phiri said information officers will be required by law to send reports to the ZMC concerning issues that were raised by members of the public about FOIA at the end of each year.

The reports must state how many FOIA reports were made, how many were granted, and the number that was denied.

Reasons for denied reports must be explained as ZMC is also expected to share the reports with Parliament. 

An information officer, according to FOIA, is the head of a public entity or public commercial entity.

The FOIA repealed the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) in 2020. 

During the workshop, stakeholders discussed the importance of access to information as a fundamental right and its role in enhancing democratic governance. 

Media professionals, civil society representatives and Government officials attended two sessions to have a better understanding of how FOIA can be leveraged to improve public access to information.

FOIA is a significant step towards fostering a culture of openness in Zimbabwe, allowing citizens to request information from public officials and entities.

This training was part of a broader initiative to empower stakeholders to utilise the Act in their advocacy and reporting efforts effectively.