SELECTED ASPECTS OF THE 2013 ZIMBABWEAN CONSTITUTION AND THE DECLARATION OF RIGHTS

Edited by
Admark Moyo

INTRODUCTION

This book examines the nature and scope of selected aspects of the 2013 Zimbabwean Constitution and the Declaration of Rights. Composed of 12 chapters examining the constitutional landscape for the protection of human rights in Zimbabwe, the book is designed for a broad audience ranging from undergraduate and postgraduate students, academia, civil society organisations, legal practitioners, judges, key government ministries, institutions and agencies, among many others. The book explains the scope of several provisions of the Constitution and their implications for the conduct of both state and non-state actors. While it does not, for instance, explain the nature and content of all the rights in the Declaration of Rights, this book acts as a prelude to a more comprehensive book to be developed by many authors from different legal backgrounds in the near future. Nonetheless, the chapters that form part of this volume provide invaluable guidance to its readers.

The book is divided into four parts. Part I consists of three chapters: this introduction; a discussion on the basic tenets of Zimbabwe’s new constitutional order; and an analysis of the relationship between constitutional values, national objectives and the Declaration of Rights. In Part II, the book discusses the rights of selected vulnerable groups such as women, children and persons with disabilities in three respective chapters. This selection of specific vulnerable groups does not necessarily imply any rank ordering thereof. While we acknowledge the rights of other vulnerable groups such as veterans of the liberation struggle, the elderly, ethnic, religious and linguistic communities and many others, the selection of the specific groups under study was influenced both by the availability of authors and the explicit constitutional protection of the rights of a particular group. Composed of three chapters, Part III locates and discusses some of the emerging issues under the 2013 Zimbabwean Constitution. These include the constitutional protection of socio-economic rights; the interaction and tension between foreign investment and the property rights of indigenous communities; and the relationship between the constitutional state and traditionalism. In Part IV, the book examines some of the mechanisms that can be used to enforce the fundamental rights and freedoms protected in the Constitution. This includes an analysis of the provisions governing standing or access to court, the role of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and an overview of the African human rights system.

ISBN 978-91-86910-38-9
Selected Aspects of the 2013 Zimbabwean Constitution and the
Declaration of Rights
© 2019 Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
 

This is a limited, non-commercial print run authorised by RWI for training, educational and research purposes only.  
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