By Kumbirai Mafunda High Court Judge Justice Owen Tagu on Thursday 3 October 2019 reserved judgment on an urgent chamber application filed by Community Water Alliance Trust (CWAT) seeking an order to compel President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his government to urgently act and ensure the provision of water to Harare residents and avert a crisis…
By Joice Mukucha The Election Resource Centre (ERC) has launched an Analysis of the Legal Framework of Elections in Zimbabwe which is meant to govern the country’s elections, advocate for electoral reforms and improve the conduct of future elections. The framework will be periodically used to test what is presented as reforms against the status…
By Kumbirai Mafunda High Court Judge Justice Happias Zhou on Tuesday 24 September 2019 interdicted Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) from preventing Dr Peter Magombeyi, the leader of Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) from leaving Zimbabwe to access medical services in South Africa. ZRP had on Monday 23 September 2019 prevented Dr Magombeyi from travelling to…
By Byron Mutingwende The law and policy framework is very important in improving the lives of people with disabilities (PWDs). Speaking during a breakfast meeting on disability awareness raising, Mr. Abraham Mateta, a disability advocate, said the main challenge that PWDs organisations have been facing was to encourage conversations that excluded policymakers. The…
By Kumbirai Mafunda The High Court will today Monday 16 September 2019 hear an urgent chamber application filed by the family of a missing medical doctor seeking an order compelling Zimbabwean authorities to account for the whereabouts of Dr Peter Magombeyi, after he was abducted by some unknown assailants on Saturday 14 September 2019. Elizabeth…
By Gideon Madzikatidze A High Court judge has dismissed with costs a dispute over land in Harare’s high density suburb of Budiriro 4, which had degenerated into a nasty battle between apostolic sect members and their leader, Madzibaba Enock (Herbert Senda). Herbert Senda, 37, the court said, is the rightful owner of the land. He…
By Abigail Mzimbawakhe (Midlands Correspondent) In a preparatory meeting that was held yesterday at Fairmile Hotel in Gweru, Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) urged citizens to have national documents so that they cannot be denied their basic human rights. ZHRC will be conducting a National Inquiry next week throughout the Midlands Province trying to identify…
By Joyce Mukucha As the year winds down, the Member of the House of Assembly for Norton Constituency Honourable Temba Mliswa expressed his excitement as his constituency substantial developmental initiatives. One of the notable developments in Norton is the resuscitation of Lucas Battery Company which resumed the production after so many years of not operating….
By Abigail Mzimbawakhe (Midlands Correspondent) MDC National Organising Secretary, Honourable Amos Chibaya yesterday donated 50 bags of cement each to Mkoba 3 High School and Takunda Primary School in a bid to build infrastructure needed at the mentioned schools. In an interview with Spiked Online Media, Honourable Chibaya said the cement was purchased under the…
Roger Nkondo Dang, the President of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) has learnt with sadness and great dismay, the reports of acts of violence targeted at foreign African nationals in some parts of our sister country, South Africa. The violence and tension are seemingly spreading into other parts of the Continent, leading into displacement of helpless…
By Kumbirai Mafunda The City of Harare (CoH) has been ordered to pay more than US$3 000 to a motorist as compensation for damage to his vehicle which was battered after it fell into an unmarked ditch, which was left uncovered by the local authority’s employees. With the assistance of Fiona Iliff of Zimbabwe Lawyers…
By Abigail Mzimbawakhe (Midlands Correspondent) Fuming Gweru residents pleaded for the removal of Section 40 of the Marriage Bill at a meeting that was held on the 30th of August at Gweru Civic Centre. A number of Gweru residents urged legislators to remove Section 40 of the Marriage Bill arguing when passed the Bill was…
During the commemoration of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance held on 30 August 2019, five leading human rights organisations called on African states to end the use of enforced disappearances and ensure justice and reparations for thousands of victims in Africa. They argued that for decades, thousands of people including government…
By Farai Chirimumimba It’s fair to say that the government is now trolling sections 56 and 59 of the Constitution that talk of equal treatment before the law and give citizens right to peaceful demonstrations respectively. I hope the courts haven’t decided to be concocted in this shame. In a recent press conference, the minister…
By Abigail Mzimbawakhe (Midlands Correspondent) Two juveniles from Gokwe North who sold a flash disc that they had stolen were recently arraigned before Magistrate Shotgame Masaiwona after it was found with a man from their neighborhood. It is alleged that Principal Tatenda Makumbirofa was found with the flash disc that matched the one that was…
The MDC National Organiser Amos Chibaya was yesterday arrested and charged with failing to take steps to stop the demonstrations called for by his party starting 16 August 2019. Chibaya was the convener of the MDC’s proposed peaceful demonstrations in four cities that were later foiled by the police after they issued four prohibition orders…
The Heads of Mission of the Delegation of the European Union, France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom and the Heads of Mission of Australia, Canada and the United States of America have urged the government of Zimbabwe to uphold human rights and respect freedom of assembly. In a joint statement,…
By Tendai Guvamombe The Harare City Council and the Environmental Management Agency are under fire for allowing invasion of wetlands in the old suburbs of Mabvuku and Tafara amid reports that residents are grappling with water shortages as springs drying are up. This was revealed on Thursday last week during a meeting on Wetlands Preservation…
By Joyce Mukucha Sunny Yi Feng Tiles Zimbabwe, a Chinese factory company in Norton has been accused of violations and non-compliance issues by neglecting to comply with the Environmental Impact Assessment thereby posing serious damages to the surrounding environment. In his letter to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Member of the House of Assembly for Norton Constituency…
By Owami Sithole Adolescents continue to experience challenges in accessing reproductive health services be it in schools and communities because of a limit imposed by the age of consent law in Zimbabwe, COMPASS-ACT has said. This has led to challenges such as unwanted pregnancies, HIV and AIDS, abortions and STIs among adolescents. Munyaradzi Chimwara, the…
By Staff Reporter The Pan-African Parliamentary (PAP) Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources recently came up with this draft model law on food security and nutrition in Africa whose main objective is to strengthen and consolidate positions on food security and nutrition, as well as the right to adequate food. The model…
The African Court on Human and People’s Rights (AfCHPR) is in Zimbabwe on a sensitisation mission with a view of promoting the Pan African Judicial Organ. “These visits will help raise awareness of the Court’s existence and encourage African States to ratify the Protocol establishing the Court and make the Declaration to allow individuals and…
By Staff Reporter The Inter-Parliament Union (IPU) President Gabriela Cuevas Barrons pledged to work closely with Africa as a token of appreciation for the support they gave her in the run-up to IPU presidential elections in 2017. Addressing the just ended 10th Conference of Speakers of African Assemblies and Senate during the ongoing Pan-African Parliament’s…
By Staff Reporter The Association of Secretaries-General of African Parliaments (ASGAP) recently elected the new leadership during the Ordinary Session of the Permanent Committee Sittings of the Pan African Parliament Fifth Parliament in Midrand, South Africa. According to their constitution ASGAP is an institution-based and a consultative forum, established by voluntarily association under the auspices…
Politician and eminent businessman, Mr. Joseph Makamba (JM) Busha has said investigations into corruption at the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) should date back to the 1990s and not start and end with arrested former Minister Priscah Mupfumira. “The corruption at NSSA is not new at all. The entity might have been prejudiced of billions…
Delegates at the just ended 10th Conference of Speakers of African Assemblies and Senates have proposed an extension to the dedication period regarding this year’s African Union theme on forced migration. The African Union theme for this year is “Finding durable solutions to forced migration to accelerate integration and development in Africa: the role of…
The MDC alliance has described as “brazen act of political thuggery” the move by government to withhold the MDC grant entitled to the party under the Political Parties Finance Act while Zanu PF has already been paid their dues. The party reported that the past one week has seen top MDC officials being sent from…
As part of its comprehensive efforts to observe the Lupane East Constituency National Assembly, Nkayi Rural District Council (RDC) Ward 23 and Bubi RDC Ward 22 by-elections, for the Lupane East constituency by-election, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) deployed 14 long-term observers who also observed at the ward collation centre on Election Day and…
Peace and Security status on the continent will take centre stage in Egypt when the Committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict Resolutions meets in Cairo as part of the August Sittings of the Permanent Committees of the 5th Parliament of the Pan African Parliament (PAP), from 02 to 10 August 2019. Hosted by the Egyptian…
The August Sittings of the Permanent Committees of the fifth Parliament of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) are scheduled to be held from 02 to 10 August 2019 at the seat of the continental Parliament in Midrand, South Africa. The August Sittings will be guided by the African Union theme of 2019; ‘Year of Refugees, Returnees and…
By Veritas On Friday 5th July the Freedom of Information Bill was published in the Gazette; it is available on the Veritas website [Link]. It is the first of three Bills the Government intends to present in Parliament to replace the much-criticised Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act [AIPPA]. In fact the Bill has little…
By Tatenda Mujeyi Cabinet ratified the Beijing Treaty on Audio and Visual performances in a development that will ensure that artists will benefit from their work. “Cabinet considered and approved the Ratification of the Beijing Treaty on Audio Visual Performances which was presented by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs,” the Chairperson of…
Adverse Report by Parliamentary Legal Committee By Veritas On the 24th July the Deputy Speaker of Parliament announced that the Parliamentary Legal Committee had issued an adverse report on the Maintenance of Peace and Order Bill, meaning that the Committee had found some provisions of the Bill to be unconstitutional. The report can be seen on…
By Farai Chirimumimba For four months, one seat in National Assembly has sat empty. Three more have been vacant for the past month. That the seats are empty in the first place was an affront of nature. The previous incumbents, elected only in 2018, died less than a year in office. The first seat fell…
By Veritas The Government’s long-awaited Marriages Bill, which is intended to consolidate our marriage law and bring it into line with the Constitution, was published in the Gazette on the 19th July. It can be viewed and downloaded on the Veritas website[link]. Background to the Bill Ever since the 1980s the Government has wanted to amend and…
By Veritas Our recent Bill Watch bulletins have concentrated on either Parliamentary progress on Bills [Bill Watches Nos 29, 30, 31] or SI 142’s unexpected reintroduction of the Zimbabwe dollar [ZWL] as the sole legal tender in the country on 24th June [Bill Watches Nos. 32 and 33]. This bulletin sketches non-legislative business in the National…
The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) has voiced concern over the purported request by the ZANU PF Political Commissariat for medicine supplies at local clinics as assistance in respect of the Lupane East by-election campaign scheduled for 3 August 2019. In a statement ZESN said whilst it acknowledges the right for political parties to solicit…
By Veritas Over the years the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission [ZACC] has been at the receiving end of insults and derision from the general public, which felt it was doing less than it should to contain corruption. In an attempt to strengthen ZACC by giving its officers more powers, on 28th June, the Minister of…
The government on 5 July 2019 gazetted the Freedom of Information Bill [H.B. 6 of 2019]. This is the first of three official Bills meant to replace the much-criticised Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). AIPPA is the omnibus law that currently caters for access to information, protection of personal information and…
By Kumbirai Mafunda Masvingo High Court Judge Justice Neville Wamambo on Monday 15 July 2019 ended the detention of MDC National Vice-Chairperson Hon. Job Sikhala after granting him ZWL$5 000 bail. Hon. Sikhala had been detained at Masvingo Remand Prison after he appeared before Magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa at Bikita Magistrates Court on Thursday 11 July…
The MDC has said it noted with serious concern the developments within Bulawayo City Council where the Town Clerk has been suspended. Party Spokesperson, Daniel Molokele said his party believes in Constitutionalism, due process, the rule of law and zero tolerance to corruption. “The party leadership has directed that the status quo ante be upheld, in…
There is need for real media law and policy reforms, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zimbabwe Chapter’s Executive Director, Tabani Moyo has said. “The more things change the more they remain the same in the Zimbabwean context in as far as it pertains to the media law and policy reforms. Zimbabwe has taken…
By Veritas SI 142 of 2019 [link] ‒ the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (Legal Tender) Regulations, 2019, to give it its full name ‒ declared that the Zimbabwe dollar should be the sole legal tender in Zimbabwe for all transactions. Other currencies, specifically US dollars, British pounds, South African rand and Botswana pula, are no longer legal tender….
By Michael Mashiri A local woman has dragged to court a man whom she claimed was her ‘husband’ for abusing her and locking her outside her matrimonial home. Talent Makumba took to the Harare Civil Court Edison Mahachi whom she accused of abusing her in various ways. Mukumba said she was still married to Mahachi,…
Under the high patronage of H.E. Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo, the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) in collaboration with the Republic of Congo and the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), will hold a High-Level Pan-African Summit on HIV/AIDS and health financing in Africa from 11 to 12 July 2019 in Brazzaville, Congo. The…
