E-government initiatives by the government of Zimbabwe and the increased use of computer-based systems by the public sector have seen an increased generation of digital records in the day-to-day conduct of business. The National Archives of Zimbabwe is taking some measures to manage these proliferating digital records in a manner that guarantees their authenticity and continued availability. This chapter explores the journey to digital records management in the Zimbabwe public sector, with specific focus on steps followed to develop the Public Sector Digital Records Management Framework (PSDRMF), Statement of User Requirements (SOURS), and efforts to acquire an EDRMS solution. The chapter provides highlights on some achievements, experiences, and lessons learnt in the process.
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Formal record-keeping in Zimbabwe can be traced back to the colonial administration which commenced with the granting of the royal charter by the queen of England in 1889 to the British South Africa Company (BSAC) to develop and administer the territory (now Zimbabwe) as a British colony (Matangira, 2016, pp. 23-24). Over the years the National Archives has managed to establish a sound public sector records management system that caters for paper records throughout their life cycle. However, the status quo of records and archives management is gradually changing due to the increased influx of digital records as a result of the adoption and increased use of ICTs within the public sector since the 1990s. Following the explosive growth in internet usage and rapid development of electronic commerce in the private sector since the 1990s, the government was ‘forced’ to implement ICT based systems in several departments and ministries (Ruhonde, Owei & Maumbe, 2008). The use of the Public Finance Management System (PFMS) to process financial transactions and the Zimbabwe Integrated Performance Management Solution (ZIPMAS) for reporting, evaluating and staff appraisal is clear testimony that digital records are being produced by the government of Zimbabwe (Nkala, Ngulube & Mangena, 2012, pp. 111). The launch of e-government programme by the Government of Zimbabwe in 2011 saw the increased generation of digital records in the public sector, created and stored in structured databases, unstructured content management systems, social media platforms, web technologies, mobile platforms and on various inherently fragile media (Ngulube, 2012, pp. 114).
However, the transition from paper-based systems to computerised systems was not matched by efforts to effectively manage the new breed of records generated by compurised systems. In practical terms, NAZ was incapacitated to effectively address the management of digital records due to lack of human capacity, infrastructure, and a National Framework to manage digital records. Failure by NAZ to keep pace with changing trends was accentuated by tough political and economic crisis that the country went through since the dawn of the 21st century (Murambiwa, 2012). Nkala et al., (2012, pp. 112) conclude that this left NAZ below par of the International Council on Archives’ envisaged picture of an archival institution in a digital era which should:
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Facilitate the establishment of policies, procedures, systems, standards and practices designed to assist the creators of digital records to create and retain records which are authentic, reliable and preservable.
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Be involved in the entire lifecycle of digital records to ensure the capture, preservation and continued accessibility of records identified as having archival value.
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Define the requirements for preservation and accessibility to ensure that digital archival records remain available, accessible and understandable through time