Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe announced that Patrick Chinamasa, formerly the minister of finance, will now head the new Cyber Security, Threat Detection, and Mitigation ministry in a recent cabinet reshuffling, Quartz reports. George Charamba, a spokesman for the government, said Chinamasa would learn from countries such as China and Russia, which he described as having “done well in ensuring some kind of order and lawfulness in that area (Cyber-space).” Law Expert Alex Magaisa described the new ministry as a move that “shows Mugabe’s penchant for expanding instruments of coercion as opposed to protection of fundamental freedoms.” This is the latest move from the ZANU PF–controlled government, which Mugabe has led for the 37 years following independence, that has drawn serious concern over the freedom of expression, access to information, and suppression of dissent. 
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