Compromised administration of justice in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights wishes to add its voice to those who have spoken out recently on the dire straits in which the Judiciary, and therefore the administration of justice, finds itself. The official opening of the 2007 Legal Year was marked by speeches from the Judge President, Mrs. Justice Rita Makarau, in Harare and Mr. Justice Maphios Cheda in Bulawayo. The two judges, particularly Justice Makarau, brought attention to invidious poisons which are negatively affecting the administration of justice in the country, namely insufficient resources and corruption within the judicial system. Read more
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Speech by the Hon. Mrs Justice Rita Makarau Judge President of the High Court of Zimbabwe at the opening of the 2007 legal year
2006 was a particularly difficult year for the whole country and we in the judiciary were not spared. While over the years the funds allocated to the judiciary have dwindled against an increase in the workload, the funds allocated for 2006 were significantly inadequate. Read more

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Harmonisation of elections 2008/2010? ZESN position
The harmonisation of elections in Zimbabwe has been proposed by the ruling ZANU PF party and discussed at its National Conference held in December 2006. This has sparked substantial debate in the country to which the Zimbabwe Election Support Network would like to add its voice. Read more
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Labour unrest, inflation and confusion
The government media continued to reserve its energies to showering praise on the authorities’ economic programmes while only the private media remained critical of the direction government was steering the economic fortunes of the country. Read more from the Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe
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Arrest and detention of ZINASU leadership
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions is disturbed and worried by the arrests of Zimbabwe National Student’s Union leadership by police and their subsequent detention at Mzilikazi police station. The ZINASU president, Promise Mkwananzi was arbitrarily arrested by state agents at United College of Education during the launch of the campaign. He was arrested alongside nine other members of ZINASU. Read more
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Exorbitant fees, a demobilizing strategy
The recent unparalleled 2000% fees hike in the tertiary education institutions by the 'government' of the day is a mere but evil ploy or plot to demobilize the students. It is a 16th century desperate strategy, for which the 'artificial government' or 'government by deception' must be exposed. Read more from Washington Katema

Repression intensifies
Crisis Coalition deplores the continuous persecution of student leaders who have taken it upon themselves to save the educational fraternity that has deteriorated dismally. The sub-standard conditions at various institutions and the escalating costs of education have caused many students to drop out of school. It is on record that the government has decided to use force and violence to silence students and other members of the civil society who are critical to the government’s stance on democratic principles. Read more
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Worst agricultural year since Independence
Blunders continued to haunt the agricultural sector with 2006 going down as the worst year since Independence, throwing into disarray all government prospects of a quick fix to the agricultural sector and the economy at large. Analysts said developments that dealt a severe blow to government efforts to boost production included legislative changes that removed the authority of the courts and the continued farm invasions that created uncertainty for investors. Read more

Mobile phone operators threatened with bankruptcy
Zimbabwe’s mobile phone operators face serious viability problems which could lead to some of them winding up their businesses due to the imposition of uncompetitive tariffs imposed by the Posts and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ). Read more from MISA
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Africa Media Development Initiative: Zimbabwe research findings and conclusions
Zimbabwe’s media industry is facing significant challenges as a result of a collapsing economy, political tensions and controversial legislation, including legislation that requires journalists and media organisations to be registered. There is, therefore, always a certain suspicion of any research process, as research interviewees are concerned about what the information provided might be used for. Read the report

Copyright: Taurai Maduna

Domestic Violence Bill: 2007 and beyond
For many women’s groups and activists, the perfect end to 2006 would have been the enactment of the Domestic Violence Bill into law. Reports earlier in that year revealed that as many as 60% of murder cases heard in the country’s courts are attributable to domestic violence, an evermore-pervasive problem in Zimbabwean society. Read more from Fungai Machirori

Virginity: who makes the decision?
Some traditionalists would appreciate a return to virginity testing as a means of curbing sexual activity among the young female population and indeed, some chieftainships use voluntary virginity testing as part of HIV mitigation strategies in their areas – a practice that has raised the ire of many women’s groups. A clause in the Domestic Violence Bill now outlaws forced virginity testing, but not the practice of testing altogether. This is a practice, like any other, that has its own merits and demerits. Read more from Fungai Machirori

Evaluating democratic progress in Africa
One question increasingly asked in Africa is whether democracy is working. Are Africans able to hold their governments accountable for delivering the services that are important to citizens? This question is asked against a background of increasing poverty, growing income inequality and the devastating impact of the HIV/ AIDS pandemic, all of which have generally eroded the quality of people’s lives. This reality makes clear the need to assess Africa’s progress towards consolidating democracy and to evaluate the impact democracy has on ordinary people’s lives. Read more

UN voting patterns tell tales of the Commonwealth Nations and Their Real Commitment to Human Rights
If actions speak louder than words human rights protection in the 53 countries of the Commonwealth is treading on thin ice. An analysis of voting patterns at the UN’s Third Committee done by the New York based Democracy Coalition Project shows big gaps between the Commonwealth’s rhetoric and reality. The Democracy Coalition Project analysed six recent resolutions connected to human rights and democracy. Read more from Iniyan Ilango, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative

Human Rights Watch World Report 2007: Zimbabwe
Human rights violations in Zimbabwe continued unabated in 2006. President Robert Mugabe’s government maintained its assault on the media, the political opposition, civil society activists, and human rights defenders. Police and state agents continue to arbitrarily arrest and detain peaceful activists, and the latter half of the year saw a marked increase in reports of torture and ill-treatment of government critics while in detention.
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Calls for justice 20 years after massacre
Operation Gukurahundi, condemned internationally for the violence it unleashed for five years on mainly rural Ndebele between 1982 and 1987, ended when the Unity Accord was signed and the two political parties merged under the banner of ZANU-PF. Called the Gukurahundi Memorial Bill, the proposed legislation intends to criminalise denial of the campaign. Read more
Read Breaking The Silence, the CCJP report on Gukurahundi