Short Communications: Archival Legislation and the Challenge of Managing Archives in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The concept of records and archives management reached Africa south of the Sahara through colonialism. As a result of the colonial legacy, Zimbabwe established its National Archives in September 1935 through the Archives Act of 1935. Nowadays the department is under the Ministry of Home Affairs and operates on the basis of the National Archives of Zimbabwe Act of 1986. At the time the 1986 Act came into operation, issues relating to the management and preservation of electronic records and the need for a more liberal access policy were not considered. Therefore, there is a need for the amendment of the Act as the National Archives of Zimbabwe proposes to embark on a records and information management restructuring project. These issues are of great concern, as the amended legislation would signal a change of direction in managing records and archives as a nation‟s heritage. This article seeks to show the extent to which the National Archives of Zimbabwe Act of 1986 has been overtaken by modern technology in records and archives management, hence the need for the National Archives of Zimbabwe to overhaul its legislation in order for it to remain a viable and relevant institution.

Keywords: Archival Legislation, National Archives of Zimbabwe Act, 1986, Restructuring