Background to this Policy Brief Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus of 2019) around the world which started in December 2019 in China, a number of measures have been put in place by different governments. In Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the COVID-19 crisis a “national disaster” on Friday, March 27, 2020 and proclaimed…
We, the representatives of civil society organisations, social movements and progressive citizens, met under the auspices of the Citizens’ Manifesto convergence platform to deliberate on the current situation in the country, including the impactof the COVID-19 pandemic. The Forum received presentations from Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD), Women in Politics Support Unit (WIPSU), Zimbabwe National…
As the Citizens’ Manifesto we express our deepest concern over the recent announcement made by the Parliament of Zimbabwe that the Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs will hold public hearings on the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment No.2 Bill from the 15th to the 19th of June 2020. Our concern lies primarily on the…
On the occasion of Africa day 2020, we must introspect and ask bold questions on the status of the African citizen more than 5 decades since the founding of the Organization of African Unity ( now African Union). Indeed, Africa’s independence is meaningless if it can’t be counted in terms of tangible advancement in the…
We, the representatives of civil society organisations, social movements and progressive citizens, met virtually under the auspices of the Citizens’ Manifesto convergence platform as part of our continuing consultations on the Covid-19 crisis and the general situation in Zimbabwe. We heard detailed narratives from different institutions which included presentations from Organisations of Rural Associations for…
As the Citizens’ Manifesto, we are outraged by the heavy-handed manner in which the state responded to the Wednesday 13 May demonstration by the MDC Youth Assembly. We hold that Citizens regardless of their political affiliation have a sacrosanct right to express their grievances. We condemn in the strongest terms the abduction and torture of three…
Unite: You have nothing to lose but your chains! Fraternal greetings in the name of the struggle for working people’s rights. We join our allies in the labor movement, both formal and informal, as represented by ZCTU, ARTUZ, VISET, BVTA, and other working people’s organizations, in commemorating the International Workers Day. A day set aside…
We, the representatives of civil society organisations, social movements and progressive citizens, met virtually – for the second time since the commencement of the National Lockdown – under the auspices of the Citizens’ Manifesto convergence platform to deliberate on the current Coronavirus crisis and the extension of the national lockdown by another 14 days to…
We, the representatives of civil society organisations, social movements and progressive citizens, met virtually under the auspices of the Citizens’ Manifesto convergence platform to deliberate on the current Coronavirus crisis and the 21-day national lockdown declared by the Government of Zimbabwe. We do hereby express ourselves as follows: Access to Reliable and Timely Information –…
On 25 March VISET, the Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET) in collaboration with the Citizens’ Manifesto distributed informational material to the network of informal workers in Harare to raise awareness of hygiene measures to protect against transmission of COVID-19 in the informal working spaces and to provide general information on COVID-19. On…
Zimbabwe COVID 19 Lack of Preparedness: Looming Tragedy for the Poor We extend our deepest condolences to the family and community of Zororo Makamba. His sad death this week as the first casualty of Coronavirus in Zimbabwe was completely unnecessary and should serve as a wakeup call to the whole nation. The horrendous circumstances of…
We extend our deepest condolences to the family and community of Zororo Makamba. His sad death this week as the first casualty of Coronavirus in Zimbabwe was completely unnecessary and should serve as a wakeup call to the whole nation. The horrendous circumstances of his tragic death exposed the total lack of preparedness of our…
By Briggs Bomba & Lenin T. Chisaira May 2019 1. Introduction Zimbabwe is in need of a national dialogue to end the current impasse and quagmire and open a viable pathway to a better future. Towards a Framework for Inclusive National Dialogue is an articulation of a perspective derived from a series of citizens’ consultations …
National Citizens Convention 2019 A Reflection on a Citizen Centre Approach The 2nd National Citizens Convention (NCC) was held on 24-25 September 2019 in Harare. It was a historic process, which defied the prevailing polarities and the paralysis in Zimbabwean society. Zimbabwean citizens from all walks of life – progressive citizens, civil society organizations, informal…
Women’s Rights Situation in Zimbabwe in the Context of Reigning Environment (Are we there yet?) by Gracious Maviza and Ntobeko Ndlovu 1. Introduction In a democratic society, it is every citizen’s right to have equal opportunity to engage with and contribute to the functioning of that country’s institutions and processes, regardless of class, age, gender,…
Re-Thinking Diasporic Engagement From Dislocation and Resistance to Pan-Africanism Solidarity and Economic Transformation by Tinashe L. Chimedza Abstract The 21st century has been summed up as the ‘century of migration’[1]. With that migration has come an increased level of diaspora communities across the globe. That diaspora sent about US$529billion to their countries of birth according to the…
Zimbabwe Youth Sector by Misheck Gondo ABSTRACT The participation of youth in Zimbabwe can be traced to the time before independence, young people playing a liberation role. After attaining independence in 1980, the post-war government made remarkable steps to institute a ministry responsible for youth and also it was led by a young woman. However,…
The state and politics in Zimbabwe by Ibbo Mandaza INTRODUCTION This paper is a brief synopsis based on my two earlier works: – Zimbabwe: The Political Economy of Transition, 1980 – 86 (1986), particularly the ‘‘Introduction’’ and Chapter 1 : ‘‘The State in Post – White Settler Colonial Situation’’ (p.2174). – The Political Economy of the…
International Relations Arena: A Ripe Domain for Zimbabwe’s Non-State Actors (NSAs) by Trevor Maisiri Introduction Whereas Zimbabwe’s international relations, under Mugabe, was underpinned by isolationism and a distinct form of populistic nationalism, Mnangagwa’s era has emerged with a neoliberal approach and an attempt at pragmatism. At the center of the new administration’s international relations approach…
The Prospects for Social Cohesion, Healing and Reconciliation in Zimbabwe: Putting the NPRC to task Webster Zambara (PhD), Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, Cape Town Abstract Forty years after independence from Britain, Zimbabwe is burdened by a history of violence and trauma whose effects continue to impede on efforts to build a socially cohesive and reconciled…
ZIMBABWE’S ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE, CLIMATE CHANGE AND PROTECTION Lenin Tinashe Chisaira ABSTRACT The anthropological era and its climate-induced disasters, unsustainable extractive industries, unequal development, shortages, environmental degradation, energy crises and lack of transparency has begun to hit Zimbabwe with higher frequencies than in the past. In 2019 there was massive devastation and loss of life,…
Zimbabwe’s Economy: Restoring Stability and Production by Kipson Gundani Acknowledgments This paper has been authored by Kipson Gundani. The Author thanks all the interviewees who kindly gave their time to discuss the issues in the paper. I gratefully acknowledge the Citizens Convention Organisers for the opportunity. All the views expressed in this paper belong to…
Labour and Social Protection Policies Paper – First Draft Paper prepared by Naome Chakanya for the National Citizens Convention (NCC) to held on 22-23 August 2019, Harare. 1.0 Introduction: Conceptualising labour (employment) and social protection policies Labour rights, decent employment and social protection are altogether human rights as enshrined in the various international rights instruments…