Online Reporter
Obey Musiwa
Herald Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has urged the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
(ACHPR) and national human rights institutions across the continent to intensify efforts to promote the Africa Human Rights
Day, which will be commemorated on October 21.
The commission said the Africa Human Rights Day, which commemorates the coming into force of the African Charter on
Human and Peoples’ Rights of 1986, has often passed with little public recognition beyond African union organs and human
rights bodies.
The commission said in a statement that reparations are not just about financial compensation but about restoring dignity,
securing equitable access to resources, and ensuring protection against arbitrary dispossession.
“For centuries, Africans and their descendants were dispossessed of land, wealth, and resources through slavery, colonisation,
and discriminatory policies,” it said.
“As we count down to Africa Human Rights Day, we must remember that protecting property rights today is part of the
reparative process.”
The commission emphasised that protecting property rights under Article 14 of the Charter, together with constitutional
safeguards such as Zimbabwe’s Section 71, is not only a legal obligation but also a vital step in the broader reparative process
to address centuries of dispossession caused by slavery, colonisation, and discriminatory policies.
“Article 14 guarantees the right to property, which can only be limited if it is in the interest of the general community, and even
then, only through fair and lawful procedures.
“Similarly, Section 71 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe protects this right by balancing individual and community interests while
requiring that all property-related policies remain lawful, fair, and transparent.”
Previously, ZHRC chairperson Ms Fungayi Jessie Majome said that the charter is unique because of its emphasis on
community-based rights and collective dignity, contrasting Western individualist traditions.
She said that while human rights are recognised globally, Africa should also acknowledge and celebrate its own regional
human rights framework, uniquely rooted in the African Charter.
“As Africans, it is important to recognise the importance of Africa Human Rights Day in promoting awareness and protection of
human rights specific to the African context,” she said.
“I was really disappointed, and I believe it is a shame and an affront to Africa’s dignity, that despite having our own unique
human rights framework rooted in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, we often overlook its significance and fail
to give it the recognition it deserves.”
