The LAW IN Zimbabwe

The LAW IN Zimbabwe The law and legal developments in Zimbabwe

03/09/2025

The legality of the alleged banning of tinted/shaded vehicles in Zimbabwe
Currently, there is no law that generally prohibits tinting or shading vehicles or using same. The law that regulates tinting/shading of vehicle windows or screens is the Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use) Regulations, 2015, published in Statutory Instrument 129 of 2015 [Chapter 13:11]
Section 11 of the Regulations reads as follows,

View to front and side
11. No person shall drive a motor vehicle on any road if the
motor vehicle is so designed, adapted or constructed or it's windows or windscreen, are so tinted or shaded that its driver, while controlling the vehicle, does not have a full view of the road and traffic on either side abreast of him or her as well as ahead of the vehicle.

The above reflects that what is prohibited is tinting or shading a vehicle window or screen such that the driver, while driving or controlling the vehicle, does not have a full view of the road behind, ahead, and sideways.

Therefore, any person charged and made to pay a fine can have that set aside. Such an imposition of a fine is unlawful to the extent that it is not sanctioned by any law.

It is not correct that the police officer should be able to see the driver. What is prohibited is negatively affecting the visibility of the driver when using or controlling the vehicle.

Furthermore, the law is not amended through press statements.

24/06/2025

Civil partnerships in Zimbabwe
Section 41 of the Marriages Act [Chapter 5:17] recognizes civil partnerships for limited purposes. This term roughly means kuchaya mapoto in shona or masihlalisane in sindebele moving in if one is to adopt modern lingo.

A civil partnership is a relationship between a man and a woman who are both over the age of eighteen years, have lived together without legally being married to each other, are not within the prohibited relations, and have a relationship as a couple living together on a genuine domestic basis.

Factors to consider and determining whether a civil partnership exists include;-
duration of the relationship, the nature and extent of their common residence, whether a s*xual relationship exists, the degree of financial dependence or interdependence, any arrangements for financial support, between them, the ownership, use, and acquisition of their property, the degree of mutual commitment to a shared life, the care and support of children, the reputation and public aspects of the relationship.

Consideration of rights for a person married to either or both civil partners
Where one of the persons in a civil partnership is legally married to someone else, a court in sharing the property of the civil partnership shall pay due regard to the rights and interests of the spouse of the civil partner and ensure that its order shall not extend to any assets which are proved, to the satisfaction of the court, to be assets properly belonging to the spouse of the civil partner.

Bigamy
Dissolution of a civil partnership shall not result in the parties to the civil partnership being deemed to be guilty of bigamy contrary to section 104 of the Criminal Law Code if either of them is legally married to someone else.

A civil partnership exists whether either or both parties are married to someone or are single as long as they are in a relationship, and are living on a genuine domestic basis, and meet the age, consent, and relationship factors.

Distribution of assets of civil partners
Once the court finds that the parties are in a civil partnership, their assets will be shared as if they were married to each other.

Criminal appeal guideline as posted by the judicial service commission.
23/06/2025

Criminal appeal guideline as posted by the judicial service commission.

05/04/2024

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has with effect introduced a new structured currency the Zimbabwe Gold ( ZiG) in terms of Statutory Instrument 60/2024, the Presidential Powers (Temporary Measures) ( Zimbabwe Gold Notes and Coins) Regulations, 2024.

All the banks to accept old notes within the next twenty one days.

The ZiG notes are in denominations of 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 100, 200.

30/11/2023

Zimbabwe 2024 budget highlights- tax corner
ZWL$58.2 trillion 2024 budget

1. civil servant covid 19 US$300 COVID allowance
-now part of your pensionable salary from January 2024
-it is now taxable.

2. Tax-Free Threshold revised to ZWL$750,000 per month and the tax bands end at Zwl$270 million per annum
-above which tax will be levied at a rate of 40%, with effect from 1 January 2024.

3.manufacturers trading or traders buying
-can only buy from a manufacturer or wholesaler if they are licenced and vat
-The VAT registration threshold reduced from US$40,000 to US$25 000, or the local currency equivalent, effective 1st january 2024

4. duty free entry of basic groceries to be removed.

5.Minimum Domestic Top-Up Tax.

The corporate tax has been raised back up to its original levels of 25%, after it was cut to 24% in 2020 to help businesses through COVID.

6. Mining taxes

Concentrates are no longer beneficiation, and attract an export tax.

Lithium miners have until March to submit their processing plans.
No new lithium licences will issued without this plans
5% royalty fees maintained
a 1% levy on revenues from lithium and granite miners and producers of quarry stones.

7.Toll fees

increasing the Strategic Reserve Levy by US$0.03 and US$0.05 per litre of diesel and petrol, respectively, with effect from January 2024.

8. Toll fees increased- more than double
Maximum 25.00 depending with your vehicle type
Premium roads with higher tolls fees include the Harare-Beitbridge highway and the Plumtree-Mutare road.

9.Passport fees increased

Passport fees are going up from US$120 to US$200 for ordinary and Usd300 for an emergency one ( 3 days)

10.Vehicle Registry Fees increased
Maximum now usd5 000.00

11.tax on the sugar in fizzy drinks
A tax of US$0.02 per gram of sugar in each drink has been introduced.

12.Wealth tax-1% on residential properties worth above USD 100, 000.00 per annum

People aged over 70 are exempted from paying this taxes for their private homes.

13. money in a vault- zimra powers

ZIMRA to be empowered to open custody vaults
at any time to ascertain contents and that financial institutions and other companies that offer custodial services receipt the contents of cash in their custody.

SHOULD DEATH PENALTY BE ABOLISHED IN ZIMBABWE?GRASSROOTS CONSULTATIONS ON THE DEATH PENALTY are being conducted by the M...
29/03/2023

SHOULD DEATH PENALTY BE ABOLISHED IN ZIMBABWE?

GRASSROOTS CONSULTATIONS ON THE DEATH PENALTY are being conducted by the MINISTRY OF JUSTICE LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

27/03/2023

RECOGNITION OF FOREIGN MARRIAGES IN ZIMBABWE

In this context, a foreign marriage is a marriage contracted in any other country which is not Zimbabwe in terms of the laws of that other country. Section 43 of the Marriages Act [Chapter 5:15] recognises foreign marriages as valid if, at the time the marriage was contracted in any country—

-none of the spouses was already married as a party to a civil marriage,
or already married under the law of a third country that forbids marriage
while either party is a party to a marriage that still subsists in that third
country; or
-the spouses were not related to one another within a degree of relationship
prohibited for the purposes of section 75 (“Sexual in*******se within a
prohibited degree of relationship”) of the Criminal Law Code; or
- none of the spouses was under the age of eighteen years; or
-none of the spouses suffered a mental incapacity to consent; or
-each spouse freely and fully consented to the marriage.

19/09/2022

The new Marriages Act Chapter 5:17 is now law by virtue of statutory instrument 164 of 2022 published on the 16th September 2022.

Zimbabwe Botswana Extradition Treaty, 2022. Statutory Instrument 30 of 2022Zimbabwe has concluded an extradition treaty ...
02/03/2022

Zimbabwe Botswana Extradition Treaty, 2022. Statutory Instrument 30 of 2022

Zimbabwe has concluded an extradition treaty with Botswana which established and facilitates exchange and cooperation in criminal matters including investigation, prosecution and exchange of documents, information and property relating to those criminal offences.

extradition is the process by which one state, upon the request of another, effects the return of a person for trial for a crime punishable by the laws of the requesting state and committed outside the state of refuge. Extraditable persons include those charged with a crime but not yet tried, those tried and convicted who have escaped custody, and those convicted in absentia.

Article 3 creates an obligation on either party to extradite on request.

Who is liable for extradition?
In terms of Article 3, extraditible offences are those offences that are punishable under the laws of both parties by imprisonment or other deprivation of liberty for a minimum period of at least one year or by a more severe penalty.

In respect of a person who is wanted for the enforcement of a sentence of imprisonment or other deprivation of liberty, ectradition shall be granted only if a period of at lesst six months of such sentence remains to be served.

REFUSAL TO EXTRADITE
Extradition can be declined by the requested state in terms of article 4 on several grounds, including but not limited to the following,
- if the offence is regarded as of a political nature
-on the belief that the request is calculated to prosecute a person on grounds of race, religion, ethnicity, political opinion, s*x or status.
-if the offence is a one under a military law as opposed to criminal laws.
- if the matter has been concluded in favour of the person requested.

HENCE FUGITIVES CAN NOW BE EXTRADITED FROM BOTSWANA AND ANY OTHER COUNTRY WHICH AN EXTRADITION TREATY WITH ZIMBABWE

16/02/2022

Change of First Name and Surname or Surname only in Zimbabwe

This is done through a Notarial Deed of Change of Name executed before a Notary Public. The Deed is then submitted to the Registrar General to process and issue out new identity documents with the new names.

A Notary Public is a Lawyer/ legal practitioner but not all lawyers are Notaries. A Notarial Deed of Change of Name is only prepared by a lawyer who is a Notary Public not a lawyer in general.

The Notary Public must draft and sign the deed.

The proposed name must be advertised in the Government Gazette and a local newspaper for a period of fourteen (14) to allow those with objections to lodge. This is also intended to guard against changing names for fraudulent or illegal reasons.

If there are no objections to the name change, proof of the advertisement and the Notarial Deed of Change of Name is submitted to the Registrar of Deeds for registration upon payment of the required fee.

After registration by the Registrar of Deeds, the notarial deed, proof of advertisement and old birth certificate is submitted to the Registrar General upon payment of required statutory fees for the issuance of new documents bearing the new surname or name and surname.

16/02/2022

CHANGE OF THE FIRST/MIDDLE NAME

The law permits anyone to change a name at any age by way of an application to the Registrar General for the change of name and upon completion of the required papers.

A minor can do the process through their parent or guardian. If the Registrar General is satisfied with all the documents required and the statutory fees paid, a new birth certificate will be issued bearing the new name or names.

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