Legal expert and advocate Fadzayi Mahere has weighed in on Zimbabwe’s complex witchcraft laws, highlighting why most cases tied to witchcraft or related accusations rarely result in successful prosecutions.
In a tweet shared on X (formerly Twitter), Mahere said:“FYI – There is a whole section of the Criminal Code dedicated to criminalising witchcraft, witch-finding and related crimes.
However, these offences, especially witchcraft, are extremely difficult to prove because the law imposes an extremely high threshold on the State to prove witchcraft with intent to cause harm.
The prosecution needs to call an expert to prove what constitutes witchcraft because ‘conduct commonly associated with witchcraft’ is not defined.
You also have to prove intent to cause harm and that the practice inspired a real fear of harm on the part of the alleged victim.
None of these elements is straightforward.
Also note that groundlessly accusing someone of witchcraft is also an offence.”
Moreover, the Criminal Code also punishes anyone who falsely accuses another person of practicing witchcraft a measure designed to protect people from defamation and social persecution.
Her comments serve as a reminder that witchcraft accusations are not only legally risky but difficult to substantiate without strong and specific evidence.
