The Zimbabwe Human Rights Association over the weekend convened in Gweru for an interactive meeting with traditional leaders. The main objective of the meeting was to create a platform for discussions and share experiences on how traditional leaders deal with contentious issues such as peace in their respective communities.

Seven chiefs and three headmen attended the meeting, namely, Chief Makuwamombe, Chief Malisa, Chief Mutekedza, Chief Gazi, Chief Mawere, Chief Ngwenya Chiundura and headmen Nyamutumwa, headman Mutakiwa and headman Samson. ZimRights Director, Mr Okay Machisa, facilitated the discussions. Introducing the peace-building project that saw the two parties meeting, Mr Machisa highlighted that “this is a culmination of acknowledgement of the role and effectiveness of traditional leaders in peace-building and conflict resolution.” He also indicated his hopes for a long standing relationship with leaders of communities, saying, that “This marks the birth of a strong counterforce to all forces of instability within communities”.

Indeed the media has the power to transform societies in a positive way if given the platform to perform effectively. Information is one of the vital components of democracy as its availability impacts directly and indirectly on other factors. It is only through the availability of information that citizens can meaningfully participate in all processes that take place in the country. It also enables people to make informed choices during elections as well as discussing issues of accountability and transparency.

ZimRights joins the world in observing and commemorating the World Press Freedom Day, today 3rd of May. However, the Zimbabwe situation offers very little to celebrate and be proud of. The Zimbabwean context falls short of adequate conditions that guarantee media freedoms and it has remained a major cause for concern.

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Association joins the rest of the world in commemorating the workers’ day.

In spite of the divisions that have rocked the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, we remain confident that the cause is still the same. We therefore, call for unity at this point to reaffirm our commitment to the rights and needs of workers. Workers in Zimbabwe are faced with a dire situation in which thousands have lost their jobs in the preceding years due to the economic and political meltdown. Unity at times like this adds weight to the cause of workers.