Joint Civil Society Statement on the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No.2) Bill We, the undersigned Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Zimbabwe, note with serious concern the passing of the controversial Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 2 by the National Assembly on 20 April 2021. It is very disturbing that the proposed amendments to the Constitution are…
The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) Gender Committee has blamed judicial capture for the continued incarceration and persecution of MDC Alliance female activists, Joanna Mamombe and Cecilia Chimbiri. The coalition argues that the activists are victims of persecution by the prosecution and avers that their ordeal at the hands of the State is clear testimony…
By Joelson Mugari – National Elections Reform Agenda (NERA) Executive Chairman It is a very sad story for Zimbabweans once again as the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has announced its back-on-track snail pace on Electoral activities. Yes Constitutionally, every citizenry community must be represented in Parliament, and hence all recalled, deceased, incapacitated or resigned members…
By Charles Dhewa Except in Burkina Faso and Uganda, parliamentary debates in the majority of agro-based African economies are completely disconnected from issues that affect ordinary people daily. Ideally, Members of Parliament (MPs) from production zones should be conversant with issues in their constituencies to be able to articulate the situation convincingly. Unfortunately, that is…
Compiled by Shamiso Mtisi and Michelle Matsvaire (Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association) Discussions on the amendment of the Constitution of Zimbabwe have resumed without any significant strides having been made in implementing and upholding already existing key provisions. The Constitution of Zimbabwe (Amendment) Bill No. 2 was gazetted on 17 January 2020 with the aim of…
By Kumbirai Mafunda A Zimbabwean court has ordered a police officer and his bosses to pay RTGS$150 000 to a 40-year-old man as compensation for damages suffered after he was mauled by a dog set upon him by a law enforcement agent. Rusape Magistrate Rufaro Mangwiro recently ordered Constable Zwelibanzi Masuko, Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP)…
By Marvellous Kumalo (Crisis Coalition Spokesperson) Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition is appalled by the continued weaponization of the judiciary to clamp down on dissenting voices. Our concern arises from the continued arrests and detention of opposition and civil society activists on flimsy charges. Yesterday, April 12, 2021, MDC Alliance Councilor for Ward 18, Chiredzi West,…
The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) hosted a virtual public meeting via the ZOOM platform on Wednesday, 7th of April 2021 on the topic “Recalls and Defections: An Anathema to Representative Democracy.” The objective of the meeting was to discuss the nature of recalls and defections in Zimbabwe as well as their implications on civic participation and electoral…
Honourable Tongai Mnangagwa, the Member of the National Assembly for Harare South has said it is incumbent on stakeholders to join forces in addressing the menace of land barons in the constituency. Hon Mnangagwa made the remarks on his meet-the-people meeting at the Mbudzi complex in Harare on Friday. “The Harare South Constituency is one…
By Kumbirai Mafunda Human rights lawyers are working on filing an appeal against the conviction and imprisonment of prominent pro-democracy campaigner Makomborero Haruzivishe after he was imprisoned for 20 months by Harare Magistrate Judith Taruvinga on charges of inciting public violence and resisting arrest by law enforcement agents. Magistrate Taruvinga, who on Wednesday 31 March…
By Veritas On the 16th March, the Cabinet agreed to further relaxations in the national lock-down. According to the post-Cabinet press briefing: “Cabinet … agreed that all sporting activities will now resume and observe Standard Operating Procedures. Restaurants are now allowed to open for sit-ins at 50% sitting capacity, under strict adherence to COVID-19 guidelines. Those found breaking…
By Veritas On Wednesday last week, 24th March, the Senate approved a motion by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to restore the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 1) Bill, to the Order Paper. This Bill had lapsed at the end of the previous Parliamentary session nearly six months ago. Background The Constitution of…
The Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) welcomes the government’s announcement that the Cabinet, considered and approved the Public Finance Management Amendment Bill, 2021 which was presented by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs as Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Legislation. Cabinet was informed that the Bill is intended to amend…
In a judgment delivered by High Court judge Justice Walter Chinamhora, Lazarus Muchenje was yesterday reinstated as NetOne CEO, reversing his dismissal from the apex position of the government-controlled mobile telephony company. The Herald Newspaper reported that Muchenje was dismissed on three months’ notice in July last year, but then made an urgent chamber application…
By Joyce Mukucha In line with Section 17 (b) of the Constitution, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission(ZHRC) has called upon the government to honour its obligations towards empowerment of women so as to achieve gender balance in all institutions and agencies of government. ZHRC said this is aimed to increase women’s leadership and tap on…
Bill Watch By Veritas Statutory Instruments under Communal Land Act: Effect on Shangaan Land Rights in Chiredzi District Nearly a year ago the Government announced its plans for large-scale commercial lucerne production a substantial area of Communal Land in the Chiredzi District. The announcement caused great disquiet among the predominantly Shangaan communities occupying the area…
The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) has revealed that Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira has been designated Acting President with effect from 1 March 2021. The designation is pursuant to Article 12(4) of the Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community relating to the PAP; and Article 18(2) and Article 19(1) of the PAP Rules and…
By Veritas Both the Senate and the National Assembly sat this afternoon, Tuesday 16th February, for their first working sittings of 2021 after their earlier token sitting in late January and early February, respectively. COVID-19 restrictions will be observed at this week’s sittings, so only a very limited number of Senators and MPs will be physically…
Firebrand politician, Temba Mliswa, who is the legislator for Norton has laid blame on state security agents led by Minister Owen Ncube for putting his name into disrepute. Speaking to this publication soon after his release from Borrowdale Police Station following his arrest for holding an illegal meeting earlier today that allegedly breached lockdown regulations,…
By Kumbirai Mafunda The High Court has removed an urgent chamber application filed by Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) seeking to compel the government to provide a National Deployment Vaccination Plan and present a budget for the purchase of coronavirus vaccines before Parliament after ruling that it is not an urgent matter. Through its lawyer…
By Veritas High Court judge Justice Mary Dube has ordered the Ministers of Health and Child Care and of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services to disseminate widely “comprehensive and adequate information” on both private and public testing, isolation and treatment of COVID-19. This follows an urgent application filed by the trustees of MISA Zimbabwe, represented…
Zimbabwe’s main opposition party MDC-Alliance legislator Joanna Mamombe and her co-accused Cecilia Chimbiri have been denied bail by a Harare Magistrate who remanded them in custody till 18 February, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has revealed. In a tweet, ZLHR said, “Harare West MP Hon. Mamombe & Chimbiri return to Chikurubi Maximum Prison after…
By Kunashe Mukande Land barons are wreaking havoc in Harare’s Budiriro high-density suburb and they recently invaded a space earmarked for Johane Masowe Nyenyedzinomwe apostolic members’ housing co-operative. A handful of the church leadership’s representative council (Vadare or Vatariri) were ordered to vacate their worshipping site and threatened with death. Narrating the horrific encounter with the…
By Veritas On 22nd January 2021, the Zimbabwe Media Commission published Access to Information and Protection of Privacy (Registration, Accreditation, and Levy) (Amendment) Regulations, 2021 (No. 1) [SI 22 of 2021]. These regulations purport to set out new fees for accrediting journalists and registering news agencies and media services under the Access to Information and Protection of…
By Kumbirai Mafunda A Beitbridge couple has been released from prison after Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) members arrested and charged the duo with publishing or communicating falsehoods by sharing a message on a WhatsApp group stating that President Emmerson Mnangagwa had died after being administered a vaccine to treat him of coronavirus. The couple, Vongai…
By approaching the High Court seeking resolution of employment disputes and unfair labour practices, embattled former Chief Executive Officer of NetOne, Lazarus Muchenje wants to be reinstated to his former position through the back door, Justice Esther Muremba has ruled. Muchenje had approached the High Court on the basis that the letter of termination of…
By Veritas Last year’s Budget Bill – the Finance (No. 2) Bill – was published in the Gazette on the 14th December and three days later was passed by the National Assembly and the Senate with very little debate. Although our Bill Watch of 15th December alerting the public to the publication of Bill mentioned…
By Staff Reporter The Zimbabwe Citizen Forum Leader Alex Gakanje has accused the MDC-Alliance Vice president, Tendai Biti of blocking the nation from accessing the Covid-19 relief fund resulting in the deaths and suffering of poor citizens. Speaking at a press conference in Harare on Monday, Gakanje said the current suffering of Zimbabwe and failure…
By Joyce Mukucha As it strives to be a preferred provider of world-class quality, innovative and comprehensive pathological services, the Pathology Laboratories (Pathlabs) has noted with concern the rise in fraudulent activities with regards to the usage of the body’s intellectual property in the form of its letterheads. The letterheads are being used to produce…
The corona pandemic is causing turmoil worldwide and has had a massive impact on economic activity. Internal legal departments are therefore facing new challenges. On the one hand, companies are cutting their budgets for legal services, and on the other hand, the complexity and amount of legal issues is increasing. In-house lawyers have to minimize…
By Joyce Mukucha While welcoming the efforts of the Government in the fight against Covid-19, the Election Resource Centre (ERC) has urged the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to be compliant with the law in arriving at any suspension and postponement of electoral activities. ERC revealed this after noting with concern the continued use of press…
Alpha Media Holdings Executive Chairman, Trevor Ncube has described actions by the State as a chilling attack on freedom of expression concerning the arrest of Advocate Fadzayi Mahere, Job Sikhala, and Hopewell Chin’ono. He said the three have been charged under a law that was struck down by the Constitutional Court in 2014 resulting in…
By Staff Reporter The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement intends to withdraw the offer of land made to the late hero and Anti-Corruption Commissioner Shepherd Gwasira in respect of Subdivision 1 measuring 2 757.97HA of CONS of Lot 1 SS Ranch, Rem of SS Ranch and Mete farm in the District of…
By Veritas Earlier this month reports circulated on social media alleging that a police officer in Harare had struck a woman with his baton and killed a baby strapped to her back. The Police issued a denial, saying that the police officer had tried to stop a kombi by smashing its windscreen. Glass fragments hit a woman…
By Dumisani Muleya (Chairman, Zimbabwe National Editors’ Forum) ON 8 January 2021, Zimbabwean police arrested award-winning journalist Hopewell Chin’ono at his home in Harare for allegedly publishing a falsehood or communicating false information which is prejudicial to the state. After that police also arrested opposition leaders Job Sikhala and Fadzayi Mahere on the same charges….
By Veritas Two further amendments to the Public Health Lock-down Order have been published in the past few days. The first, in SI 11/2021 of 5th January 2021 [link], declared courts to be an essential service for the purpose of the Order; the second, in SI 13/2021 of 8th January 2021 [link], declared legal practitioners to be performing an essential…
By Joyce Mukucha In 2017, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) adopted a form of electronic registration model named biometric voter registration (BVR) and during these grave times of Covid-19, the Election Resource Centre (ERC) is calling on the national electoral management body to provide citizens with alternative platforms, different from the norm, for them to…
The Government of Zimbabwe has warned councillors and senior management of local authorities across Zimbabwe to desist from corrupt activities forthwith when it comes to investigations and criminal cases indicating that such activities will hinder the attainment of Vision 2030 Agenda. This came out after the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works had noted…
By Kumbirai Mafunda Zimbabwean police on Friday 8 January 2021 arrested and detained prominent freelance journalist Hopewell Chin’ono and charged him with publishing or communicating false statements prejudicial to the State after he allegedly tweeted about the abuse of a minor by a police officer .Chin’ono, who is represented by Harrison Nkomo and Paidamoyo Saurombe…
By Sindiso Mhlophe Described as the “Democrats’ 2020 social media phenomenon” by various media outlets and research institutes in the just ended United States of America (US) elections, vice-president-elect Kamala Harris was able to generate over 27 million interactions on various social media platforms during the campaign period. Broken down, according to CrowdTangle, Harris, who…
High Court of Zimbabwe Justice Mangota on Thursday 17 December 2020 granted an order in an application filed by Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association as an Applicant for public interest purposes. The order interdicts Chitungwiza Municipality from releasing sewer into water bodies, watercourses, streams, tributaries, or any part of the environment. Further, the Municipality was compelled to,…
Jairos Zondai (not real name) graduated with a degree in veterinary sciences from the University of Zimbabwe at 24 years of age. His mother, a widow, sent him to school as a single parent because his father succumbed to HIV while he was nine years old. Jairos was born with HIV. “I was born with…
By Veritas In a new SI published yesterday ‒ SI 299A of 2020 [link] ‒ the Minister of Health and Child Care further relaxed the national lock-down. The SI is very short – it has only two clauses – but the amendment it makes may be far-reaching. The Position Prior to This Amendment Section 5(1) of the Lock-down…
By Sowell Chikwari (Staff Writer) Parliament must adopt robust measures to combat online gender-based harassment and abuse. This was revealed by civil society organizations (CSOs) and stakeholders who attended the Girls Engage Program organised by Plan International Zimbabwe that was held last Friday in the capital, Harare to mark the 16 Days of Activism Against…
By Kumbirai Mafunda HIGH Court Judge Justice Tawanda Chitapi on Friday 20 November 2020 set free Hopewell Chin’ono, a freelance journalist and an anti-corruption campaigner, who had spent 17 days in detention after he was arrested by Zimbabwe Republic Police officers and charged with defeating or obstructing the course of justice. Chin’ono had spent 17…
