On December 31, 2024, President Emmerson Mnangagwa enacted the Death Penalty Abolition Act, positioning Zimbabwe as the 30th country in Africa to permanently eliminate capital punishment. Mnangagwa’s decision follows the vote by Zimbabwe’s parliament earlier in December to abolish the death penalty. The Rights group Amnesty praised the ruling as a “beacon of hope for the abolitionist movement in the region.” According to Amnesty, the move was not “just great progress” for Zimbabwe but also a “major milestone” in international efforts to end “this ultimate cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment”.
Fr. Tryvis Moyo, the Secretary-General of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Zimbabwe, believes that a shift in ” the understanding of the concept of justice” within the nation has contributed to this verdict. Though Zimbabwe is not the pioneer in Africa when it comes to the abolition of the death penalty, Fr. Moyo contended that this choice will influence other countries that still endorse it. He emphasized that signing the Death Penalty Abolition Act was a significant declaration on human rights, aiming to protect life. “With the death penalty, there were also mistakes being made with innocent people,” he opined.