Zimbabweans are now back online after the High Court ruled that it was illegal to terminate internet and social media connectivity.

This after the Court heard applications for an end to the shutdown from council representing Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, as well as the Media Institute of Southern Africa.

"The first respondent or any other administering authority has no power under the Interception of Communications Act to order the shutdown of internet services," reads part of the application that the High Court upheld yesterday.

Econet alerted its subscribers to the latest development and issued a text message last night which read: "The Ministerial directive invoked to suspend internet and social media services was set aside by the High Court. All internet and social media services have now been fully restored."

Zimbabwe is counting the costs of a deadly week-long protest over fuel price hikes, with market experts estimating over US$300-million in lost productivity and crippled online payments.

The country continues to experience a massive cash crisis and remains reliant on online and other digital payment platforms, which it has been for the past two years.

President Emerson Mnangagwa returned to Zimbabwe last night after cancelling a scheduled trip to Davos for the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2019 and said "heads will roll" over the disturbances.