ZHRC Chairperson Fungai Jessie Majome
BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has commended the government for implementing the rights provided for in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and other human rights treaties by incorporating most of them in the Declaration of Rights of the country’s Constitution, as well as in national laws and policies.
This was revealed in a statement by the ZHRC, as the commission on October 21, joined the African continent in commemorating the Africa Human Rights Day (AHRD).
AHRD is observed annually on 21 October by member States of the African Union (AU) to celebrate the coming into force of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) in 1986 after adoption by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) now the AU, yet the day goes unnoticed.
AHRD commemorations celebrate the uniqueness of African human rights principles grounded in African values and customs that uphold not only individual rights but collective or group rights as well as duties and responsibilities of every person in indigenous African contexts.
The theme for AHRD 2025 is “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations”.
The statement further read that “the theme underscores the AU’s enduring desire and push to ensure historical injustices suffered by Africans and people of African descent under slavery, colonialism, imperialism, apartheid and systemic discrimination are remedied through reparatory justice.
“In Zimbabwe, the 2025 AHRD theme resonates with ongoing efforts to address historical injustices and imbalances in governance, ownership of natural resources and enjoyment of human rights for all Zimbabweans.”
It was added that “ZHRC commends the Government of Zimbabwe for implementing the rights provided for in the ACHPR and other human rights treaties by incorporating most of them in the Declaration of Rights which is Chapter 4 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe as well as in national laws and policies.
“More recently in 2024, the government also ratified the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Older Persons in Africa and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Citizens to Social Protection and Social Security in 2022.
“ZHRC therefore calls on the Government of Zimbabwe to safeguard the Constitution which is the Supreme law of the land that provides an effective framework for democratic governance, the rule of law and protection of human rights.
“Furthermore, ZHRC reaffirms its commitment to the principles enshrined in the ACHPR and calls for collective action to ensure that justice is accessible to all as the struggle for reparatory justice is a shared responsibility,” read the statement.
It was added that “the ACHPR is a landmark legal instrument because it is the founding treaty of the African Human Rights System. In that regard, the ACHPR is Africa’s Bill of Rights outlining the fundamental rights and freedoms that African States must protect, promote and safeguard.”
And it is said to change the silence around the day, in March 2025, Chairperson of the ZHRC Fungai Jessie Majome successfully lobbied with the Network for National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI) Steering Committee for member states of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) to accord more prominence than before to the observance of Africa Human Rights Day.
In May 2025, the ZHRC Chairperson took the motion to the meeting of the African Commission on Human and People (ACHPR).
