(a) prejudice the law enforcement process in any way, including the following—
(i) revealing the identity of a confidential source of law enforcement information;
(ii) revealing information relating to criminal intelligence that has a reasonable connection with the
detection, prevention or suppression of organised criminal activities;
(iii) compromising the effectiveness of investigation techniques and procedures used by the law enforcement agencies;
(iv) endangering the life or physical safety of a law enforcement officer or any other person;
or
(b) prejudice the defence and national security of the country and the safety or interests of the country; or
[Paragraph amended by section 25 of Act 5 of 2003]
(c) prejudice the defence and national security of a foreign country with which Zimbabwe has entered into a
defence pact; or
(d) prevent the detection, prevention or suppression of espionage, sabotage or terrorism; or
(e) reveal any information relating to or used in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion; or
(f) facilitate the escape from custody of a person who is under lawful detention; or
(g) harm the security of any property or system, including a building, a vehicle, a computer system or a
communications system; or
(h) prejudice the operations of the defence and security forces within or outside Zimbabwe; or
(i) result in or facilitate the commission of an offence; or
(j) result in exposing a person to civil liability for disclosing personal information contained in a law enforcement record; or
(k) prejudice the custody, supervision or release of a person in custody.
(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), the head of a public body may disclose—
(a) the contents of a report prepared in the course of routine inspections by an agency that is authorised to
enforce compliance with any enactment;
(b) the contents of a report, including statistical analysis, on the degree of success achieved in a law enforcement programme; or
(c) statistical information on decisions made by the Attorney-General on the prosecution of offences:
Provided that the disclosure of such information will not contravene the prohibitions set out in subsection (1).
(3) The head of a public body may disclose, after the completion of an investigation by the police, the reasons for a decision not to prosecute to—
(a) a person who was aware and had an interest in the investigation, including a victim or complainant, or
relative or friend of a victim or complainant; or
(b) any member of the public, where the investigation had been made public.
18 Protection of information relating to inter-governmental relations or negotiations
(1) The head of a public body may, on the advice of the Minister responsible for local government or the
Minister responsible for foreign affairs, as the case may be, refuse to disclose information to an applicant if such
disclosure may—
(a) affect the relations between the government and—
(i) a municipal or rural district council; or
(ii) the government of a foreign state; or
(iii) an international organisation of states;
(b) divulge information received in confidence from a government, council or organisation referred to in
paragraph (a).
(2) Subsection (1) shall not apply to information, other than law enforcement information, contained in a record that has existed for twenty or more years.
19 Protection of information relating to the financial or economic interests of public body or the
State
(1) The head of a public body may refuse to disclose to an applicant information which may result in harm to
the planning, financial or economic interests of the public body or the State.
(2) The information referred to in subsection (1) shall include—
(a) trade secrets of a public body or the State; or
(b) financial, commercial, scientific or technical information that belongs to a public body or to the State
and has monetary value; or
(c) plans that relate to the management of personnel of or the administration of a public body or the State
and that have not yet been implemented or made public; or
(d) information whose disclosure may result in the premature disclosure of a proposal or project or in undue
financial loss or gain to a third party;
(e) information relating to negotiations made by or for a public body or the State.