How much does a Data Protection Officer cost in Zimbabwe?
Short answer
A Data Protection Officer in Zimbabwe costs from the USD 1,250 POTRAZ-approved certification fee upwards, depending on the model. An internal DPO costs the certification plus part of an existing salary; an external DPO costs a retainer; a shared DPO splits either cost across several organisations.
What the law says
The Second Schedule to SI 155 fixes the DPO training and certification fee at USD 1,250 per person for Zimbabwean citizens and USD 1,450 for international candidates. Section 10 of SI 155 also obliges the controller to provide "continuous professional development training to the data protection officer", so there is a recurring cost. The Regulations do not set a DPO salary or retainer; that is a matter of contract.
Example
Three models seen in Zimbabwe. (1) A Tier 1 hardware store in Kadoma certifies its bookkeeper (USD 1,250) and gives her four hours a month for the role: year-one cost about USD 1,250 plus her time, thereafter CPD only. (2) A Tier 2 property company in Harare engages a certified external DPO on a monthly retainer, avoiding the certification cost and the training fortnight. (3) Six small clinics in Manicaland jointly contract one certified DPO who serves all six, each filing its own Form DP2; each clinic pays one sixth of the retainer.
In practice
Compare the three models against the penalty for having no DPO at all (fine up to level 7 or up to two years' imprisonment) and against the cost of a badly handled breach. For most SMEs the external or shared model is cheapest in year one; the internal model is cheapest over three years if the person stays.
General information, not legal advice. This page covers Zimbabwean law only: the Cyber and Data Protection Act [Chapter 12:07], Statutory Instrument 155 of 2024 and POTRAZ’s 2025 Implementation Guidelines. It is not the EU GDPR and not South Africa’s POPIA. Fees, fine levels and deadlines are as gazetted and published by POTRAZ at 9 September 2026; check the latest POTRAZ notices before acting. Businesses named in examples are fictional.