Golden Jubilee For Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference
After independence in 1980, diocesan structures of CCJPZ were established,
thus bringing the Commission closer to the people. Using the Catholic Church as
an entry point, it established Diocesan Commissions that have created
community based structures useful for monitoring justice and peace situation in
the country as well as disseminating justice and peace messages. CCJPZ
recognizes building relationships, based on respectful dialogue can be a fruitful
strategy in terms of influencing policy. As a result, CCJPZ has been influential in
providing civic educations on justice and peace at the local and national levels
and has produced influential documents that have been used for relevant
advocacy and liaisons.
In the late nineties the Commission distributed impartial literature on the right to
vote which led to a high voter turnout for the 2000 parliamentary elections.
Other publications include Crises of Governance (2000) and Graveyard
Governance (2008) that encouraged Zimbabwe's main political parties to unite
by negotiating and signing a Global Political Agreement in 2008, which paved
way for peace and economic stability. The Catholic Observer: Election
Observation Report for 2013 Harmonized Elections in Zimbabwe provided
some electoral recommendations based on CCJPZ observations of 2013
Harmonized Elections. Further electoral recommendations are made in a byelection observation report entitled, Continuous Voter Registration and Voter
Education: Valuable Keys to Credible Elections in Zimbabwe - CCJPZ
Reflections on Lessons Learnt from Observing Zimbabwe's 19 By-Elections
[held after 2013 Harmonized Elections].
Prior to the 2018 Harmonised Elections, CCJPZ conducted an Election Integrity
Survey which aimed to deepen the Church's understanding of citizens feelings
towards elections. By so doing, the survey equipped CCJPZ with framework for
possible church interventions and responses in assisting Zimbabwean men and
women to independently and effectively participate in democratic processes.
Hence, one cannot deny that CCJPZ is commended for playing a crucial role in
mobilizing Zimbabwean men and women to actively participate in election
process and exercising their constitutional rights.
Zimbabwean journey to 2018 Harmonised Elections was characterised by
relative improvements in the electoral environment and administrative process
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