Human Rights Archive Zimbabwe

Dr Peter Magombeyi, a medical doctor and Acting President of the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA), was abducted on the night of 14 September.

On 19 September 2019, Dr Peter Magombeyi, a medical doctor was found alive and disoriented, dumped about 33 km out of Harare in a placed called Nyabira.

On Friday 11 March 2016, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with four Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) namely Legal Resources Foundation (LRF), Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights), Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR)

The Strategic Plan informs the manner in which we engage with key stakeholders and partners in the domestic and international human rights community as we seek to fulfill our broad constitutional mandate.

The purpose of the mission was to assess the living conditions of juvenile inmates and the status of their facilities, as well as to hear the general concerns of the inmates and their proposals for solutions and recommendations.

The Tsholotsho flood report presents the findings and recommendations of a comprehensive report conducted by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, into the events associated with the mission visit to the floods victims in Tsholotsho found in Matabeleland North of Zimbabwe.

This report was compiled by the Secretariat of the Commission represented in the various programme units with the guidance and direction of members of the Commission.

The year under review was not without its fair share of challenges. Funding constraints have meant that the ZHRC continues to operate from only two offices Countrywide making it inaccessible to the larger populace.

This Bill was gazetted in the Government Gazette dated 19th April [released to the public on 17th April ahead of the public holidays on 18th and 19th April].

The Tripartite Negotiating Forum Act, 2019 (Act No. 3 of 2019) was gazetted and came into force on Tuesday 4th June [Government Gazette Extraordinary dated 4th June 2019].

Both the National Assembly and the Senate sat last week and this week. Two Bills were passed and progress made on two others.

This morning an important statutory instrument was published in a Government Gazette Extraordinary: the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (Legal Tender) Regulations, 2019 (SI 142 of 2019). The instrument can be viewed on the Veritas website

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.

The Marriages Bill, 2019 [H.B. 7, 2019] was gazetted on Friday 19th July. The Bill can be downloaded from the Veritas website [link]. For our analysis of the Bill see Bill Watch 36/2019 of 22nd July

Parliament has in separate public notices dated 23rd July invited the public to make comments on the above-mentioned Bills. In each case the deadline for receipt of written submissions is Friday next week, 2nd August.

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 the Veritas website [link] as can the Bill itself [link].

Both the Senate and the National Assembly will continue sitting this week, the third week of the current series of sittings.

On Thursday 2nd August the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Hon Mthuli Ncube, presented his 2019 Mid-Year Budget Review and Supplementary Budget to the National Assembly. President Mnangagwa attended the presentation. Opposition MDC-A MPs did not

Both Houses of Parliament sat this week. The Senate sat on Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th August and then adjourned until Tuesday 27th August. The National Assembly sat on Tuesday, Wednesday and yesterday before also adjourning to Tuesday 27th August

At a sitting that started on 8th August and ended at 4.10 am on 9th August the National Assembly passed the Maintenance of Peace and Order Bill with amendments, most of which were intended to meet objections raised by the Parliamentary Legal Committee [PLC] in its adverse report on the Bill.

By furious fast-tracking of business on Wednesday 8th [they sat until 10.39 pm] and Thursday 9th [until 4.10 am on Friday morning] the National Assembly managed to pass, not only the Finance (No. 2) Bill and the Appropriation Supplementary (2019) Bill [the two Budget bills], but also, with amendments, the Maintenance of Peace and Order Bill

The 39th Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) was held at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania last weekend. All sixteen SADC member States were represented.

Recalled from their recess by the President to conduct special business [see Bill Watch 45/2019 of 12th August [link] – Senators assembled on Wednesday 14th August for a single sitting that lasted for just over eight hours, with the adjournment until Tuesday 27th August coming at 10.37 pm.

On Tuesday 27th August the Senate received the Parliamentary Legal Committee [PLC]'s non-adverse report on the amendment to clause 7(5) of the Bill made at its special sitting on 14th August.

Three months ago, when the Minister of Finance and Economic Development gazetted SI 142/2019 [link] declaring RTGS dollars to be the only legal tender in Zimbabwe, press headlines referred to the "outlawing" of the use of the US dollars and other foreign currencies in Zimbabwe. Ministers and officials said the same thing.

There will be a ceremonial opening of the Second Session on Tuesday 1st October. During this opening the President will present his State of the Nation Address [SONA] and outline the legislative agenda for this session.

President Mnangagwa opened the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament of Zimbabwe at a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament in the National Assembly today.

The purpose of this bulletin and another to follow soon is to provide, in two Parts, an update on Government Gazettes and statutory instruments from 1st August to date which have not been noted previously in our bulletins.

This bulletin continues where Bill Watch 52 of 16th October [“Statutory Instruments: Part 1]” [link] stopped; it will deal with Government Gazettes from SI 205/2019 of 20th September up to SI 221/2019 of 18th October.

The Second Session of this Parliament – the Ninth Parliament of Parliament [and second Parliament under the 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe] was officially opened by President Mnangagwa on Tuesday 1st October at a joint sitting of both Houses.

When opening the current session of Parliament on 1st October the President criticised Parliament’s low output of Bills during the last session

It has always been difficult to find out which international treaties are binding on Zimbabwe. This is partly because the procedures by which Zimbabwe becomes a party to treaties are not transparent, and partly because the government has not published a treaty list ‒ i.e. a list of the treaties that are binding on this country ‒ for nearly 20 years.

Both Houses will reconvene next week, having adjourned until Tuesday 12th November after their last sittings on 24th October. In the meantime, MPs and Ministers have been attending the pre-Budget Seminar at Victoria Falls from 30th October to 4th November.

The Senate and the National Assembly last sat on Thursday 24th October. Since then MPs have been occupied mainly with Budget business.

The Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Professor Mthuli Ncube, presented the 2020 National Budget to the National Assembly this afternoon

On Friday 8th November the Office of the President and Cabinet announced changes made by President Mnangagwa to his Ministerial line-up with immediate effect. The following tables show the complete Ministerial line-up including the changes, in alphabetical order by name of Ministry.

The 2020 National Budget Presentation on 14th November, noted briefly in Bill Watch 59/2019 [link], was not the only important event of the last Parliamentary week. This bulletin is to update readers on other noteworthy developments in the National Assembly that occurred last week.

Resumption of the Budget debate is on the Order Paper for today, Tuesday 26th November.

Last week, only the National Assembly was in session.

Bill Watch 65/2019 contained speculation that Parliament would, as it has done in past years, have a ten-day break to allow ZANU PF MPs to attend to their party obligations in connection with the ZANU PF Annual Conference.

AN ACT to make provision for the maintenance of peace, order and security in Zimbabwe; to repeal the Public Order and Security Act [Chapter 11:17]; and to provide for matters connected with or incidental to the foregoing.

Statement about the Political situation in Zimbabwe in November 2017

The ZHRC is encouraged by assurances by the military concerning the imperative to uphold constitutionalism and values of justice, non-violence, human rights and freedoms in resolving the current political situation.

This bulletin is a summary of a report by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission [hereafter referred to as “the Commission” or “ZHRC”] recording its assessment of the human rights situation of communities in the Tsholotsho district affected by the floods experienced in the 2013/2014 rainy season.

In Parliament recently, the Deputy Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare made a Ministerial Statement on the Government’s Food Deficit Mitigation Programme, which was repeated in the Senate the following day.

This bulletin is the first of several that will draw attention to and summarise reports of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission on investigations carried out since the Commission became operational.

This bulletin contains the text of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission’s Press Statement on the promotion and protection of environmental and related rights in the face of ongoing flooding in urban areas.

This bulletin is an update on the membership of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission [ZEC] following its return to full strength with the filling of six vacancies last month.

In the National Assembly yesterday, Tuesday 10th May, the Minister of State in Vice-President Mphoko’s office, Hon Tabitha Kanengoni, withdrew the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission Bill in terms of Standing Order 157.

This bulletin is to remind readers about this month’s segment of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission’s APRIL-JULY OUTREACH PROGRAMME that will take the Commission to the people of Zimbabwe all round the country.

This bulletin introduces the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission’s APRILJULY OUTREACH PROGRAMME that will take the Commission to the people of Zimbabwe all-round the country.

Zimbabwe National Assembly Portfolio Committees October 2018

Zimbabwe Senate Thematic Committees October 2018

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has taken note of and is concerned about the impasse between the Government of Zimbabwe and members of the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors’ Association (ZHDA) who have been on strike since the 1st of March 2018.

National Peace and Reconciliation Commission Consultations

National Peace and Reconciliation Commission Commissioner

The press statement was issued by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission on 15th August 2019 ahead of the mass demonstrations planned for 16th August.

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) carried out a human rights situation monitoring exercise in Chimanimani and Chipinge districts in Manicaland Province in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai.

Today the 31 st of January 201 9, the NPRC acting in terms of its mandate provided for in Section 252 (d) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (Number 20) of 201 3 initiated a planning process for National Dialogue with key stakeholders who included Government, Traditional Leaders, the Church, Arts and Culture, Civil Society, Business, Academia, Persons with Disabilities, Women and Youth among others. The objective of the meeting was to jointly develop a framework for a comprehensive dialogue process.

There is one vacancy to be filled on the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission following the resignation of Commissioner C. T. Khombe before the expiry of his term of office.

Veritas draws attention to the Parliament of Zimbabwe’s public notice announcing the names of the 133 persons in respect of whom nomination documents have been submitted for appointment as members of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission.

The National Peace and Reconciliation Commission is concerned by the deteriorating political and economic situation in the country. The NPRC is therefore initiating a multi-stakeholder consultative dialogue process.

Statement by Spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on 16th August 2019 Demonstrations in Harare

Celebrating a golden jubilee is a significant milestone for every individual or organization as this chronicles a journey travelled with joys, trials and tribulations.

This document is an invitation to all Zimbabweans and all friends of Zimbabwe to dialogue with us so that we can together define a national vision of the Zimbabwe we want and agree on strategies on how to get there.

Statement by youth leaders from 20 Zimbabwe Political Parties following Youth Political Party Dialogues with the Security Sector and Chapter 12 Commissions convened by the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) on 7 June and 28 June 2019 respectively.

A Pastoral Letter of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference On the Current Food Security Crisis in Our Country.

The message is meant to cheer and encourage, fill with hope, to give praise, understanding and support to all married couples and families.

One of the objectives of the Congress is to represent the Zimbabwe labour movement in international fora and promote friendship, cooperation, solidarity and fraternal understanding with other trade union movements, progressive institutions and mass organizations whose aims and principles coincide with those of the Congress

The theme in this campaign is Harmonisation of Labour Laws to comply with International Labour Standards'. Kindly find below a summary of the shortcomings in our labour law and the workers' demands.

Report of the Commission of Inquiry appointed under article 26 of the Constitution of the International Labour Organization to examine the observance by the Government of Zimbabwe of the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87), and the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98)

AN ACT to provide for the establishment of the Zimbabwe Special Economic Zones Authority and to provide for the functions thereof; to provide for the constitution and functions of the Special Economic Zones Board; to provide for the establishment of special economic zones,and the administration, control, regulatory measures and incentives in connection therewith; and to provide for matters incidental to or connected with the foregoing.

ACT to make further provision for the Public Service Commission and its functions; to provide for the constitution and administration of the Public Service and the conditions of service of its members; and to provide for matters connected with or incidental to the foregoing.

ACT tO amend the Labour Act [Chapter 28:01J; and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Act to provide for the establishment of the Health Service Board and its functions; to constitute the Health Service and to provide for its administration and the conditions of service of its members; to provide for the transfer of persons engaged in public health service delivery from the Public Service to the Health Service and to provide for matters connected with or incidental to the foregoing.

In countries that have adopted the Westminster model of parliamentary government,the post of Leader of the Opposition is a semi-official parliamentary post given to the leader of the main opposition party or group in Parliament. The post is largely symbolic, but the symbolism is very important.

The section provides for setting up an independent body to receive and investigate complaints against the security services [i.e. the Police Service, the Defence Forces, the State intelligence services and the Prisons and Correctional Service].

In this Constitution Watch we shall indicate what can and should be done after Parliament has completed impeachment proceedings and resolved that the President should be removed from office.

Section 50(5)(c) of the Constitution provides that anyone who is detained has the right to communicate with, and be visited by, their relatives, their chosen religious counsellor, their chosen lawyer and their chosen medical practitioner.

As long ago as 1997 our Supreme Court ruled that arbitrarily stopping either people or vehicles infringes the constitutional right to freedom of movement, though the court held that the random stopping of vehicles to check for vehicle defects could be regarded as a justifiable limitation if it was done for the purpose of ensuring safety on the roads.

Several Acts of Parliament contain provisions permitting the President or a Minister to make statutory instruments ‒ regulations, orders and so on ‒ which amend the Acts themselves.

A search of a person’s home or property is an infringement of their right to privacy,guaranteed by section 57 of the Constitution.

What is criminal nuisance and how does it affect the right to demonstrate guaranteed by section 59 of the Constitution?

Section 210 of the Constitution provides for the investigation of complaints against the security services [i.e. the Police Service, the Defence Forces, the State intelligence services and the Prisons and Correctional Service].

In this bulletin we shall examine the legality of the Internet shut-downs against the background of the Constitution, international law and the Interception of Communications Act.

Yet another 26th June has come and gone without Zimbabwe having adopted the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment [CAT].

FINANCIAL ADJUSTMENTS BILL, 2019

The Government of Zimbabwe blames the country’s steep economic decline in the decades after 2000, on sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, particularly those of the EU and US. The Government has framed these measures as an international trade embargo against Zimbabwe and, because they do not have the imprimatur of the United Nations Security Council, maintain that they are illegal.

STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS OF 2019

ZANU-PF versus MDC-A : Chairing of Parliamentary Committees

The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to government and non governmental sectors and scientific groups in Zimbabwe working with international,regional and national stakeholders and communities in the development and evaluation of candidate vaccines relevant to Zimbabwe.

The Report highlights issues about Human rights education in medical education, Prison Health Protection Program and Training on health and human rights in prisons.

Child Rights and Welfare

The Handbook shades light on the international and national legal framework so that those who work with children in the justice system will be aware of the legal provisions that should guide them as they carry out their work.

Swedish Sida in Harare commissioned an evaluation to assess the impact of CIVNET’s activities and training programmes, for which they have provided funding support for the period between 2000 to 2007. An independent consultant, Ms Dren Nupen from Johannesburg, South Africa was contracted to undertake the evaluation because of her experience in the NGO sector in South Africa and the SADC region.

This report presents the work of the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum for the period beginning January 2017 to December 2017.The report takes into account the strategic pathway which drove the organisation and the operational challenges it faced together with its members.

Statement to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights at the 65th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights under Agenda Item 4e

The newsletter talks about the human rights developments in the country and keeps people informed on how "The Forum" worked for the realization and enjoyment of the rights of Zimbabwean people in the month of July.

The newsletter talks about the human rights developments in the country and keeps people informed on how "The Forum" worked for the realization and enjoyment of the rights of Zimbabwean people in the month of June.

The NTJWG joined the rest of the world in commemorating the International of Peace. Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September.

The month of August is always a difficult time for Zimbabwe. It is the same month in which at least six civilians were shot dead by the army following the demonstrations in the Harare CBD. Since then, things have not been the same. In this newsletter, we highlight so that you get the full picture of the transitional justice landscape in the country.

There were a number of considerable transitional justice developments in the country in the month of July.This newsletter,captures these developments for you,so that you get the full picture of the transitional justice landscape in the country.

There have been several transitional justice developments in the country in June.In this newsletter,we package these developments for you, so that you get the full picture of the transitional justice landscape in the country.

The National Transitional Justice Working Group (NTJWG) joined the rest of the world in commemorating Nelson Mandela Day.

The report outlines several violations which happened in the various provinces against different victims

In this report, the Human Rights Forum made the very strong allegation that the Government of Zimbabwe is complicit at the least in the commission of Crimes against Humanity.