Government Considers Constitutional Amendment To Abolish Death Penalty

Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said that Zimbabwe had no execution of persons on death role since 2013. He said President Emmerson Mnangagwa wants the death penalty to be abolished.

The Justice Minister revealed that the government intends to abolish the death penalty and that plans are already in motion to push for a Constitutional amendment. Ziyambi has this to say

From 2005 we have had no execution. The 2013 Constitution was an improvement from the previous one in that women can no longer be sentenced to death; those under the age of 21 are no longer sentenced to death, those over 70 are spared the death penalty,” said Minister Ziyambi.

Only males over 21 and below 70 can be sentenced to death, which we believe is a great improvement from the previous position that we had. The status quo was as a result of the consultation that was done through the Constitutional Parliamentary Committee (Copac). There was a vote that let us leave it there for now and this was captured in the Constitution.

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