movement a sympathetic ear or perhaps it was just a calculated move for political expediency ahead of the July 2018 general elections. The late former political opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, of the MDC initially made some pro-gay sentiments in 2011, quoting provisions of the Zimbabwe constitution’s enshrined rights for all people including sexual minorities. This turned out to be an electioneering gimmick, as he reversed his statements in 2013, reiterating that same sex marriage was banned by the law. Following the trends developing from the reportage of violations against LGBTI in Zimbabwe, it would appear that in the majority of cases, the victims do not report their cases to the police for fear of stigmatization, detention, harassment, assault or other forms of victimisation. There is generally a belief among the members of the LGBTI community that the law and its enforcement structures are anti their preferences and chosen way of life. Activists have spoken about the poor interpretation of the law by law-enforcement agents particularly when it comes to LGBTI. As a result, the public ends up conflating what is legal and illegal. The Voice of America quoted leading gay rights activist Mojalifa Mokwele, citing that pronouncement of one’s gay status is not itself a crime, but public expression of homosexual acts is. The legal provisions in such a situation are largely enshrined in the legal provision cited below as: “any act involving physical contact between men that would be regarded by a reasonable person to be an indecent act” carries a penalty if convicted of up to one year in prison or a fine up to [US]$5,000… It is worth noting in this analysis that Zimbabwe is signatory to a number of regional and international treaties and instruments that seek to promote and uphold human rights in their totality. Such treaties include the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, which makes provision for equality before the law and the right to nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. At continental level there is the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) and ultimately the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). It would therefore appear that Zimbabwe may be found wanting in terms of these provisions by upholding a law that An analysis of the state of human rights violations against LGBTI persons in Zimbabwe (2011-2017) 11