Section 2 of the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) of 2000 establishes a framework for implementing preferential procurement policies in South Africa. The PPPFA requires government entities to set criteria for evaluating tenders to protect and benefit "persons, or categories of persons, historically disadvantaged by unfair discrimination on the basis of race, gender, or disability".
In order to enforce the PPPFA, the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Act was passed in 2003. Under Section 10 of the Act, a certain percentage of government contracts must be awarded to black-owned businesses. However, the exact percentage is not specified in the agreement because it is formula-based. The Act uses a scorecard system to measure the level of black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) of companies. It requires that government institutions give preference to companies with higher B-BBEE scores when awarding contracts.
In 2017, the Minister of Finance introduced more detailed Preferential Procurement Regulations, which include pre-qualification criteria for preferential procurement and specific procurement policies for designated sectors and tenders. However, the Constitutional Court struck down some provisions of these regulations in February 2022. As a result, the government published a new draft of the Preferential Procurement Regulations in November 2022, which came into effect in January 2023. Under the 2022 regulations, preference points continue to be awarded based on the offered price (80 or 90 points out of 100), with additional preference points (20 or 10 points) granted based on the achievement of specific goals set in the tender invitation, rather than solely on the B-BBEE score. These goals include contracting with historically disadvantaged individuals and implementing the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). Furthermore, the 2022 regulations eliminate the use of 'prequalification criteria' in tenders, providing more discretion for state organs in applying their procurement policies. These regulations are placeholders until a new public procurement bill is finalised.

Annex A of the Practice Note on Local Content for Electronic and Information Technology Goods published by the Department of Trade and Industry defines guidelines on local content for electronic and information technology goods in public tenders. The note requires a certain percentage of the value of ICT products to be of local origin. The local content requirement varies depending on the product and can range from 30% to 100%.

It is reported that the Preferential Procurement Regulations have created uncertainty regarding the criteria for identifying "specific previously disadvantaged groups" eligible for preference margins in procurement processes. Although the regulations do not mandate the use of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act of 2013, state entities may still consider it alongside other objectives, such as employment equity, green procurement, and local content. While these regulations offer more flexibility, there are ongoing concerns that the allocation of preference points may not be fair, equitable, or transparent.

Zimbabwe has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Signatures.

Zimbabwe has not adopted national legislation based on or influenced by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Commerce.

According to Section 62, the telecommunication apparatus requires approval of the Authority before it is connected for use by a licensee. As a basis of approval, the Authority may publish a notice in the Gazette establishing standards to which an apparatus of a specified description shall conform to be approved. It is reported that self-declaration of conformity is not allowed in Zimbabwe.

According to Art. 47 of the Mid-Term Monetary Policy Statement, users are restricted to only one mobile wallet account per person and a daily transfer limit of ZW 5,000 (approx. USD 50). This applies to individuals for person-to-person transfers, person-to-merchant payments for goods and services, bill settlement and purchase of airtime. In addition, pursuant to Art. 50 merchants are not allowed to make payments from their wallets. This is also the case for agent mobile money wallets, which have been abolished by the Policy. In this regard, users can no longer make transactions through mobile money agents. It is reported that this is likely to affect customers in rural Zimbabwe who rely on the agents to access mobile money services. These agents gave rural consumers the opportunity to integrate into the financial system.

It is reported that the de minimis threshold, that is the minimum value of goods below which customs do not charge duties, is USD 10, below the 200 USD threshold recommended by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

The Consumer Protection Act (Chapter 14:44) of 2019 provides a comprehensive framework for consumer protection that also applies to online transactions.

Zimbabwe has not signed the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts.

The Postal and Telecommunications Act allows the government to intercept ostensibly suspicious communications (Section 98) and requires a telecommunications licensee, such as an ISP, to supply information to government officials upon request. It is not clear whether a court order is required.

The Cyber and Data Protection Act provides for a safe harbour regime in Zimbabwe. This is provided for in Section 379C(1), which states that an ISP shall not be responsible or liable for a crime if they have not initiated the transmission, selected the receiver of the transmission and/or modified the information contained in the transmission. Most importantly, the Act provides that the ISPs will not be liable for data carried on their platforms and those of intermediaries if they remove it after a court order. In addition, ISPs and intermediaries will not be liable if they remove the information upon their realisation or gain knowledge that the information is illegal.

The Cyber and Data Protection Act provides for a safe harbour regime in Zimbabwe. This is provided for in Section 379C(1), which states that an ISP shall not be responsible or liable for a crime if they have not initiated the transmission, selected the receiver of the transmission and/or modified the information contained in the transmission. Most importantly, the Act provides that the ISPs will not be liable for data carried on their platforms and those of intermediaries if they remove it after a court order. In addition, ISPs and intermediaries will not be liable if they remove the information upon their realisation or gain knowledge that the information is illegal.

According to Art. 5.1 of the Postal and Telecommunications (Subscriber Registration) Regulations, 2013. Telecommunications providers must each establish a subscriber database of all SIM card holders, connecting their phone number to their name, address, gender, nationality, and passport or ID number. The law obliges service providers to regularly hand over copies of this data to the government, which will then establish its own central subscriber information database.

The indicator "7.2.4 - Government Internet shut down in practice" of the V-Dem Dataset, which measures whether the government has the technical capacity to actively make internet service cease, thus interrupting domestic access to the internet or whether the government has decided to do so, has a score of 3 in Zimbabwe for the year 2024. This corresponds to "Rarely but there have been a few occasions throughout the year when the government shut down domestic access to Internet."