On 31 March, Zimbabweans participated in a national ‘stayaway’ that shut down schools, public transport and businesses across the country in the first mass protest since 2019. The stayaway was in response to calls for street protests against President Mnangagwa made by Blessed Geza, a former member of the ruling Zanu-PF party who is pushing for Mnangagwa to be replaced by his vice president, Constantino Chiwenga, citing corruption and economic mismanagement. However, most chose to stay away rather than take to the streets, amid a heightened police presence. The Zimbabwean police said they had arrested 95 protesters and local press reported that nine journalists were briefly detained. The stayaway took place against a backdrop of growing political tensions over attempts by some within Zanu-PF to extend Mnangagwa’s term beyond the constitutionally mandated limit.     

Sources: British Broadcasting Corporation (1), The Africa Report, British Broadcasting Corporation (2), New Zimbabwe, Africa Confidential 

Political violence surged in February, driven by rising political tensions over attempts by some within the ruling Zanu-PF party to extend President Mnangagwa’s term beyond the constitutionally mandated limit. These efforts, known as the ‘2030 agenda’, have split the party, pitting Mnangagwa and his allies against another faction led by his vice president. The agenda has also drawn criticism from the political opposition and civil society and has increasingly destabilised the country. The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), an NGO, reported that 7,292 people had been affected by human rights violations in February, up from 3,161 in January 2025 and 1,460 in December 2024. These violations included threats of violence, politically motivated assaults, unfair distribution of food aid, and restrictions on freedom of assembly, association and expression. The majority of abuses were perpetrated by people connected to Zanu-PF and while most victims were politically unaffiliated, ZPP noted an increase in intra-party violence within the ruling party. 

Sources: ISS Africa, Africa Confidential, Zimbabwe Peace Project (1), Zimbabwe Peace Project (2), Zimbabwe Peace Project (3)  

On 31 December, President Mnangagwa signed into law the Death Penalty Abolition Bill which, with immediate effect, ends the practice of capital punishment, prohibits Zimbabwean courts from imposing capital sentences and mandates them to re-sentence prisoners who had received a death sentence. The legislation, however, contains a clause authorising the use of the death penalty during a public emergency. Zimbabwe has not carried out the death penalty since 2005, but prior to the legal abolition of the practice courts had continued to hand down capital sentences and, according to Amnesty International, there were at least 59 people on death row at the end of 2023.  

Sources: Death Penalty Abolition Act, The Herald, Amnesty International

On 17 October, Zimbabwe’s parliament passed a piece of legislation, which analysts say will significantly restrict the ability of civil society organisations (CSOs) to operate freely. The Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Amendment Bill 2024 amends the regulations governing CSOs. Its stated aims include countering money laundering and the financing of terrorism and preventing ‘the abuse of charitable giving for political or socially undesirable ends’. In vague and broad terms, it grants the executive extensive powers to monitor and intervene in the running of CSOs, including replacing an organisation’s executive committee. It also criminalises CSOs who engage in political activism, with offenders liable to a heavy fine or a prison sentence. An earlier version of the Bill was passed by parliament in 2023 but was returned by President Emmerson Mnangagwa for reconsideration amidst strong opposition and lapsed at the end of the previous parliamentary term.

Sources:  The Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Amendment Bill HB 2A, 2024, Veritas Zimbabwe (1), Veritas Zimbabwe (2), New Zimbabwe, United Nations