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The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has accused the United Party for National Development (UPND) and President Hakainde Hichilema of betraying the Zambian people by enacting what it calls a “draconian” Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act.
EFF leader, Kasonde Mwenda, said the law, signed by President Hichilema on April 8, 2025, posed a grave threat to citizens’ rights and sets a dangerous precedent for state abuse of power.
In a statement issued on Saturday , Mwenda charged that the Act grants sweeping and unchecked powers to law enforcement and other government officials, allowing them to secretly spy on citizens without their knowledge or consent.
“These are powers that violate the fundamental rights enshrined in the Zambian Constitution, including the right to privacy, freedom of expression, and protection from arbitrary search and seizure,” he said.
Citing Section 30 of the law, Mwenda said it permits law enforcement officers to request electronic communications service providers to intercept communications and install surveillance devices on private premises—sometimes even through oral requests.
“A law enforcement officer may orally request an electronic communications service provider to intercept any communication and to route the duplicate signals of the indirect communication specified in that request to the Centre where the officer has reasonable grounds to believe,” Mwenda said, quoting from the Act.
He argued that this effectively legalises state-sponsored surveillance and undermined constitutional protections.
Mwenda cited Article 17 of the Constitution of Zambia, which guarantees that “no person shall be subjected to interference with their privacy, family, home or correspondence.”
He warned that the new law permits the state to eavesdrop on private conversations, monitor communications, and collect personal data without meaningful oversight.
“This is a clear overreach and a direct attack on the basic freedoms of Zambians,” Mwenda said.
He further criticized the Act’s “excessive and ambiguous” penalties, warning that it creates fertile ground for abuse.
“Law enforcement and other state agencies are granted broad powers to operate without oversight, opening the door for human rights violations, harassment, and intimidation,” he alleged.
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