Hard Choices on Zimbabwe: Do amnesties work
for or against peace?
Paper Presented at the 2018 Transitional Justice Policy Symposium
23 November 2018
By Mohamed Suma
∗
1. Introduction
Zimbabwe has commenced a critical transitional justice journey after years of colonialism,
dictatorship, oppression, and political violence. In 2013, the country adopted a new Constitution and
in pursuant of Section 251 of same, a National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC),
established on 18 December 2015. The decision to establish the NPRC was a significant milestone to
address legacies of serious past human rights violations, creating healing and peaceful co-existence.
In 2018, the country held its first post-Mugabe elections, generating hope for accountability and
social cohesion. But the challenges of accountability and peacebuilding still linger while Zimbabwe
tries to design a system to enrich the country’s human rights and democratic culture,
Much of Zimbabwe’s history has been characterized by years of violence, beginning with the
resistance by the black majority of the oppression and deprivation of land by British colonialists. This
culminated into fifteen years of struggle for independence that was subsequently gained in April
1980, with Robert Mugabe emerging as Prime Minister.
Before and after the new government was put in place, several amnesties were taken,1 in particular
the 1975 Indemnity and Compensation Act granted amnesty to the police force, civil service and
Central Intelligence Organization (CIO) members for offences committed in the past and for those
anticipated.
In 1979 and 1980, the transitional government granted Amnesty Ordinances.
∗
Mohamed Suma is the Head of Office for the International center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) Cote d'Ivoire Country
Program. I wish to thank Julie Chantelot and Pauline Gagliardini for conducting the background research for this paper. All
errors are the author’s alone.
1
MandikwazaEdnowledge (16.06.2016), “The place for Amnesty in Zimbabwe’s Transitional Justice Process”, available at:
https://accord.org.za/conflict-trends/place-amnesty-zimbabwes-transitional-justice-process/
1