1. Introduction
The Parliament of Zimbabwe respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information of all users who access our websites, mobile applications, digital platforms, online forms, newsletters, public participation systems, and other electronic services.
This Privacy Policy explains how the Parliament of Zimbabwe collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal information when members of the public, stakeholders, officers, researchers, candidates, visitors, suppliers, media practitioners, and other users interact with our digital platforms.
The Parliament of Zimbabwe processes personal information in accordance with applicable laws of Zimbabwe, including the Cyber and Data Protection Act [Chapter 12:07], and other relevant legal and administrative requirements.
2. Who This Policy Applies To
This Privacy Policy applies to users of Parliament of Zimbabwe digital platforms, including but not limited to:
- Members of the public accessing parliamentary information;
- Users submitting petitions, enquiries, feedback, or public comments;
- Individuals registering for newsletters, public hearings, visits, events, or alerts;
- Applicants using recruitment or vacancies platforms;
- Suppliers, service providers, and procurement participants;
- Members of Parliament, officers of Parliament, researchers, committee clerks, secretariat staff, and authorised internal users;
- Media, civil society organisations, development partners, and other stakeholders.
3. Information We May Collect
Depending on the service used, the Parliament of Zimbabwe may collect the following types of information:
3.1 Personal Identification Information
This may include:
- Full name;
- National ID number or passport number, where required;
- Date of birth;
- Gender;
- Contact details such as email address, phone number, and postal address;
- Organisation, institution, or company name;
- Job title or designation.
3.2 Account and Profile Information
Where a user account or portal profile is created, we may collect:
- Username and password credentials;
- Profile details;
- Role or access level;
- Login history;
- User preferences;
- Uploaded documents.
3.3 Communication and Public Participation Information
When users contact Parliament or participate in public engagement processes, we may collect:
- Messages submitted through contact forms;
- Petitions, comments, questions, complaints, or feedback;
- Submissions to committees or public consultations;
- Newsletter subscription details;
- Records of correspondence.
3.4 Recruitment and Application Information
For vacancies, internships, attachments, nominations, or related application processes, we may collect:
- Curriculum vitae;
- Academic and professional qualifications;
- Employment history;
- References;
- Supporting documents;
- Application status and assessment information.
3.5 Technical and Usage Information
When users visit our digital platforms, we may automatically collect:
- IP address;
- Browser type and version;
- Device type;
- Operating system;
- Pages visited;
- Date and time of access;
- Referring website;
- Cookies and similar tracking information;
- System logs for security and audit purposes.
3.6 Sensitive Personal Information
In limited cases, the Parliament of Zimbabwe may collect sensitive personal information where required by law, public administration, recruitment, accessibility support, security, or parliamentary processes. This may include information relating to disability status, health-related accommodation needs, political office, or other legally relevant information.
Sensitive personal information will only be processed where there is a lawful basis and appropriate safeguards are in place.
4. How We Use Your Information
The Parliament of Zimbabwe may use personal information for the following purposes:
- To provide access to parliamentary information and digital services;
- To process enquiries, petitions, submissions, complaints, and feedback;
- To support public participation in parliamentary processes;
- To manage newsletter subscriptions and public alerts;
- To administer recruitment, vacancies, nominations, internships, and related applications;
- To verify user identity where required;
- To manage user accounts and access permissions;
- To improve website, mobile app, and portal functionality;
- To maintain security, prevent fraud, and protect parliamentary systems;
- To comply with legal, regulatory, administrative, audit, and reporting obligations;
- To support official parliamentary communication and stakeholder engagement;
- To maintain accurate records in accordance with applicable record-keeping requirements.
5. Legal Basis for Processing Personal Information
The Parliament of Zimbabwe processes personal information where one or more lawful grounds apply, including:
- The information is necessary for the performance of a public duty or official function;
- The user has provided consent;
- Processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation;
- Processing is necessary for legitimate administrative, security, or operational purposes;
- Processing is required for recruitment, procurement, public participation, or other official parliamentary processes.
8. International Transfers of Information
Where personal information is stored or processed outside Zimbabwe through cloud hosting, email systems, analytics tools, or technical service providers, the Parliament of Zimbabwe will take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place and that such processing is consistent with applicable data protection requirements.
9. Data Security
The Parliament of Zimbabwe takes reasonable technical, administrative, and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.
These measures may include:
- Access controls and user authentication;
- Secure hosting and system monitoring;
- Encryption where appropriate;
- Audit logs;
- Staff confidentiality obligations;
- Regular review of security practices;
- Restricted access based on user roles and official duties.
While reasonable measures are taken to protect information, no digital platform can guarantee absolute security. Users are encouraged to protect their login credentials and avoid sharing passwords or sensitive information through unsecured channels.
10. Data Retention
The Parliament of Zimbabwe will retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, comply with legal and administrative obligations, resolve disputes, maintain official records, and support accountability.
Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the information, the service used, and applicable records management requirements.
When personal information is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, archived, or disposed of in accordance with applicable procedures.
11. Your Rights
Subject to applicable laws and lawful limitations, users may have the right to:
- Request access to personal information held about them;
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information;
- Request deletion of personal information where legally permissible;
- Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
- Object to certain processing activities;
- Request information about how their personal information is used;
- Lodge a complaint with the relevant authority where they believe their data protection rights have been violated.
Some requests may be limited where the information is required for legal, public interest, parliamentary, archival, security, or official administrative purposes.
12. Children’s Privacy
The Parliament of Zimbabwe does not knowingly collect personal information from children without appropriate lawful grounds, parental or guardian consent where required, or a legitimate public-interest purpose.
Where digital services are intended for educational, civic engagement, school visits, youth programmes, or public participation activities involving minors, personal information will be processed with additional care and safeguards.
13. Public Submissions and Published Information
Certain information submitted to Parliament may form part of official parliamentary records, public consultation processes, committee work, petitions, reports, Hansard, proceedings, or other public documents.
Users should be aware that information submitted for public parliamentary processes may be published, referenced, archived, or disclosed where required by law, parliamentary procedure, or public-interest obligations.
Where appropriate, Parliament may moderate, redact, anonymise, or limit publication of personal information, especially where sensitive information or safety concerns are involved.
14. Links to External Websites
Parliament of Zimbabwe digital platforms may contain links to external websites, including government institutions, partners, social media platforms, livestreaming services, or third-party resources.
The Parliament of Zimbabwe is not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or security of external websites. Users are encouraged to review the privacy policies of any external websites they visit.
16. Changes to This Privacy Policy
The Parliament of Zimbabwe may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, technology, services, internal procedures, or data protection requirements.
The updated version will be published on the relevant Parliament of Zimbabwe digital platform with a revised “Last Updated” date. Continued use of the platform after updates means users have read and understood the revised policy.
17. Contact Us
For privacy-related questions, requests, or concerns, users may contact the Parliament of Zimbabwe through the official contact details below:
Parliament of ZimbabweNew Parliament Building, Mt Hampden
Box CY 298, Causeway
Harare, Zimbabwe
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +263 8688 007715 / 0242 700181–8
Toll Free: 0781 825 124 (Econet subscribers only)