Story by Tichaona Kurewa
Vice President General (Retired) Dr Constantino Chiwenga has implored judges on the continent to put in place provisions that promote and preserve human rights and dignity.
He was addressing delegates during the official opening of the 7th Congress of the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa (CJCA) in Victoria Falls this Thursday.
For Zimbabwe to become an empowered and prosperous upper middle-income society by 2030, there is recognition that the economic success of the nation is instrumental in the full realisation of the enjoyment of human rights and in preserving the dignity of the citizens.
“The expectation therefore, as you debate this theme in the next two days is that you must explore on the best and most effective methods and ways that should be used by the courts to uphold and enforce fundamental human rights and freedoms in general and human dignity in particular. Our Constitution recognises as one of its founding values, the right of every human being to exist freely. It has an expansive Bill of Rights that every person can enforce and vindicate in our courts. As you engage on this very important theme during your conference, it is important to appreciate that the respect for human dignity lays the basis that our laws and institutions protect the inherent worth of every human being,” said VP Chiwenga.
The African Union concurred with Vice President Chiwenga and called for an end to conflicts in Africa.
“Human dignity is a core societal value, as it permeates the tapestry of constitutional governance and the rule of law and is universally recognised as an indispensable and supreme value for constitutionalism, democracy, and the protection of fundamental human rights. However, violent conflicts with their humanitarian consequences alongside with spreading terrorism, radicalisation, violent extremism and transnational organised crimes in a number of African countries have negatively impacted human dignity on our continent,” noted AU Director- Governance and Conflict Prevention, Honourable Patience Chiradza
Government believes the choice of Zimbabwe to host the congress is an endorsement of Zimbabwe’s judiciary sector as a beacon for the continent.
“We are glad that you elected to come to Zimbabwe, a country which is a constitutional democracy and which respects the rule of law. This is a vote of confidence in this jurisdiction at large and our judiciary in particular. This shows that we have a functioning and vibrant judiciary in this country worth the respect of its counterparts in the region,” highlighted the Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, Honourable Ziyambi Ziyambi.
Attended by judges from over 40 countries, the congress is a platform to advance Africa’s commitment to the respect for human rights as an aspect of constitutional democracy
The Congress is also being attended by representatives of countries and international organisations outside the African continent, including Albania, Austria, Türkiye, and Russia.
