What the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Number 3 Bill means for democracy
Posted: 19 June, 2026 Filed under: Nqobani Nyathi | Tags: 2008 elections, Amendment Number 3 Bill, changing term limits, Constitution of Zimbabwe, Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Number 3 Bill, democracy, five years, gender equality, good governance, Government of National Unity, human rights, human rights violations, rule of law, transparency, violence, ZANU-PF, Zimbabwe Leave a comment
Author: Nqobani Nyathi
Lawyer
Introduction
In 2013, Zimbabweans voted overwhelmingly for a new Constitution. Drafted during the Government of National Unity after the violence and massive human rights violations that followed the 2008 elections, it marked a national attempt to break from the past.
The Constitution of Zimbabwe is anchored in clear values. These include the rule of law, human rights, gender equality, transparency and good governance. Above all, it affirms that authority to govern derives from the people of Zimbabwe. For the third time, that founding vision is under threat.
Starving in Silence: The Case for an African Commission Resolution on Conflict-Induced Starvation in Africa
Posted: 10 June, 2026 Filed under: Harry Mwesigwa, Maram Mahdi, Sohna Jawara | Tags: 2025 Global Report on Food Crises, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, African regional human rights system, armed groups, basic food needs, basic rights to dignity, conflict, crop fields, destruction of crops, Ethiopia, farms, food security, food stocks, human rights, humanitarian issue, hunger, irrigation systems, legal problem, Nigeria, regional instruments, South Sudan, Starvation, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, weapon of war Leave a commentAn advocacy piece
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Maram Mahdi |
Harry Mwesigwa |
Sohna Jawara |
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1 Introduction
Starvation is no longer reducible to drought, market failure or developmental lag in Africa. In conflict settings, hunger has been engineered as a weapon of war. Civilians are deprived of the means of survival not by accident but by design, through siege, the obstruction of relief convoys, the deliberate destruction of crops, and the targeting of marketplaces. The implications are stark, violating the most basic rights to dignity, health and life. In 2025, approximately 147 million people globally experienced acute food insecurity as a result of conflict.
Between coordination and enforcement: What the GBVF disaster declaration actually delivers
Posted: 8 June, 2026 Filed under: Rethabile Mosese | Tags: accountability, ActionSA, criminal justice system, Disaster Management Act, Domestic Violence Act, femicide, GBVF, gender-based violence, legal advocacy organisations, national disaster, National Disaster Management Centre, National Prosecuting Authority, National Shelter Movement of South Africa, political decision, Public Finance Management Act, Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust, sexual offences, Sexual Offences Act, Victims of Crime Survey, Women for Change Leave a comment
Author: Rethabile Mosese
Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
A political victory, a legal question
On 21 November 2025, thousands of women lay on the ground for fifteen minutes at the Union Buildings, in shopping centres, on pavements and office floors, honouring the women killed every day in South Africa. I joined them knowing that these numbers are not abstract. Though exact figures fluctuate with reporting cycles, research by the South African Medical Research Council and Gender and Firearms Studies Africa estimates that around fifteen women are murdered daily. Hours after this collective act of mourning, government declared gender-based violence and femicide a national disaster under the Disaster Management Act. For many, the declaration felt like long-awaited recognition. But the legal instrument government chose matters as much as the declaration itself. Having spent over a decade inside the systems meant to protect survivors, I understand how much turns on that choice.
AfricLaw 