Data Accessibility and Digital Democracy: Unpacking the Political Transformation Problem in Zimbabwe

This chapter investigates the role of internet accessibility in defining and explaining the nature and scope of citizen political participation in Zimbabwe within a context of persistent economic and political crises between 2013 and 2023. It explores the various factors that affect citizens’ access to information through mobile internet, including the cost of mobile data. Mobile data has become essential for business transactions, social networking, and political participation. With the chronic scarcity of cash, mobile banking through apps such as Ecocash and One-Wallet has replaced normal cash transactions. While this has been touted as an act of leapfrogging into the future by enabling those who had never accessed banking services to do so through digital innovation, the reality is that this is largely an outcome of desperation. Internet access through mobile data for citizen participation and activist politics has become a critical avenue of self-expression. The state has banned any form of public protests against deteriorating economic conditions. As such, online platforms have increasingly become safe havens for citizen engagement in issues of governance. Using participatory democracy theory, the chapter examines the nexus between data accessibility and citizens’ democratic rights. This qualitative research study uses interviews with 15 purposively sampled research participants, comprising policy makers, mobile sector companies, and right-to-information watchdogs. It also draws on analysis of policy documents. Among other findings, the study reveals that expensive data, government surveillance, internet shutdowns, and dominant mobile operator politics hinder access to digital services and consequently political participation.