This study examined skills levels, gaps and needs of personnel who manage electronic records in Zimbabwe’s public departments. In the context of this study, skills refer to the ability and competence to manage electronic records professionally, effectively and efficiently. Many scholars have established that a solid educational background, experience, training and staff development programmes are indispensable in implementing a successful electronic records management programme. This is in tandem with the skills theory and the skills acquisition theory, both of which were used in this study. The study established that although an array of officers managed electronic records, most of them were not qualified in records management and as such lacked competencies to manage electronic records properly and professionally. There was no coordination in the manner in which electronic records were managed as different officers managed electronic records according to their personal intuition, ability and resources. This qualitative study involved 55 officers who worked with electronic records in government ministries in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe. Data were collected using interviews which were triangulated by document reviews. Data were analysed thematically. The study recommended skills development through workshops and college courses, skills collaboration and the hiring of qualified records officers in order for Zimbabwe to turn around her electronic records management fortunes.

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Many countries in the Eastern and Southern African Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (ESARBICA) have embraced electronic government as a matter of priority. This is a programme where government business is conducted through use of different information communication technologies. Unfortunately, many members of the organization, including Zimbabwe, do not have archival legislation that specifically caters for the creation, use, maintenance and disposal of electronic records. This has resulted in records management practitioners resorting to a hit or miss approach when managing electronic records. This paper highlights the inadequacies of the National Archives of Zimbabwe (NAZ) Act (1986) as well as the challenges facing records management practitioners in as far as the management of electronic records is concerned. The survey research method was used to collect data specifically on inadequacies of the NAZ Act and challenges faced by information practitioners in using the act to deal with the creation, use, maintenance and disposal of electronic records.

This article aims at establishing public sector records practitioners‟ perceptions about records and information management surveys which are periodically heldby the National Archives of Zimbabwe (NAZ). The urge to carry out the study emanated from the continuing poor records management practices in public sector departments in Zimbabwe despite the fact that NAZ carries out periodic records and information management surveys. This study was carried out in the City of Gweru in Zimbabwe and it employed a survey research design where data were collected using questionnaires and interviews. The study revealed that public records practitioners largely had negative perceptions about NAZ records surveys as they saw the exercise as intrusive and faultfinding. NAZ officers blamed the impasse on lack of knowledge about the importance of records and lack of professional training in records management. The study recommends that NAZ officers should be sleuth and diplomatic when conducting records surveys to promote good relations and as well, there is need for behavior change on the part of public recordspractitioners for them to develop positive perceptions about NAZ records and information management surveys.

Records maintenance is a critical aspect of records management, which guarantees the availability of records now and into the future. Unfortunately, a plethora of challenges face both creating departments and the secondary depository facility, a situation which threatens the records lifecycle. This work looks at records maintenance challenges faced by government ministries and the Gweru Records Centre in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe. Using questionnaires and document reviews, data were collected from records and information management officers in 25 government ministries in the province as well as from staff of Gweru Records Centre. Due to lack of records management knowledge and financial challenges, many government ministries are not transferring semi-current records when transfer is due. At the same time, Gweru Records Centre is unable to accession large volumes of records from creating departments due to space, logistical and operational challenges. However, a number of activities are being carried out by the Centre to redress the situation. The study recommends provision of financial resources for records management and staff development programmes to inculcate behavioural change among records staff and management in government ministries, as well as the establishment of a large purpose-built records centre in the Midlands Province.