ZIMBABWE CRIMINAL CODIFICATION

This is the Law of Zimbabwe that is refereed as the "CODE". A “CODE” is a piece of legislation gathering together in one place all the main aspects of a particular branch of the law. This Code brings together in one piece of legislation all of the major aspects of the Criminal Law of Zimbabwe, whilst at the same time effecting a whole series of reforms and improvements to the pre-existing Criminal Law. Hence the title of the Act refers to both codification and reform of the Criminal Law. This Code will both improve the quality of the Zimbabwean Criminal Law and its general accessibility. Previously the Criminal Law of Zimbabwe was widely dispersed. Much of the Criminal Law was not written down in statutes but was contained in the common law. The locating of the common law dealing with a particular crime or a defence to criminal liability was often a laborious exercise as it involved tracing back to the original common law and then ascertaining how over the years the Zimbabwean courts (and also the South African courts) had interpreted and applied that common law. A considerable amount of the previous Criminal Law was widely dispersed and was contained in a whole variety of different pieces of legislation. As the Code not only brings together in one place the pre-existing law but also makes a series of changes to the pre-existing law, it will be necessary for all those involved in the administration of the Criminal Law to familiarise themselves with what is contained in this Criminal Law Code.Author: Feltoe, G. (Prof)