The legislative output for 2025 was remarkably low. 2025 was a year of bottlenecks. Parliament spent most of the year debating bills that got blocked for legal errors, and only managed to rush the Budget through at the very last minute (December 30).

17 Bills are currently before the Zimbabwe Parliament. The legislative agenda was heavily focused on the 2026 national budget, public service reforms, and updating legal frameworks for security and mining.

1. Only ~7 Laws Passed in the Entire Year The strongest proof is in the details for the Finance Bill. It is listed as “Act No. 7 of 2025”.

• Since Acts are numbered sequentially as they are passed, this implies that Parliament only successfully turned 7 bills into law for the entire year of 2025.

• On the list provided, only 3 bills (Appropriation, Finance, and Pipelines) actually crossed the finish line.

2. The “Big Reforms” Failed The most important bills that would actually change the economy or governance structure did not pass:

• Economy: The Mines and Minerals Bill (critical for investment) is stuck.

• Civil Service: The Public Service Bill (critical for labor relations and the 70-year rule) is stuck.

• Social Welfare: The State Service Pensions Bill is stuck.

3. The “Adverse Report” Bottleneck A significant amount of time was wasted on drafting bills that were immediately rejected by Parliament’s own lawyers (the PLC).

• 3 out of 17 bills (nearly 20% of this active list) are currently dead in the water because they were found to be unconstitutional. This suggests poor initial drafting by the Ministries.

4. Late Starts Many bills were only introduced (gazetted) in October or December, leaving no realistic time for them to pass before the year ended.

• Example: The security bills (Police, Drugs, Biological Weapons) were only ready for the House in late October, meaning they barely started the process.

Key Highlights

1. The 2026 Budget Passed (Priority)

The most critical legislative business concluded just before the year ended.

• Passed: The Appropriation (2026) Bill and the Finance Bill were finalized on December 30, 2025, and transmitted to the High Court for enrolment as Act No. 6 and Act No. 7 of 2025, respectively.

• Pipelines Amendment: Also finalized and sent for printing as Act No. 5 of 2025.

2. Bills Facing Legal Obstacles

Three significant bills have received an “Adverse Report” from the Parliamentary Legal Committee, indicating potential constitutional or legal conflicts that have stalled their progress at the Committee Stage:

• Mines and Minerals Bill (H.B. 1, 2025): A critical economic bill stuck since October 2025.

• State Service (Pensions) Bill: Stalled since September 2025.

• Public Service (Amendment) Bill: Stalled since November 2025.

3. Security and Social Order (New Business)

A cluster of bills regarding national security and social order were introduced late in the year (October–December 2025) and are in the early stages (Presentation/House Copies):

• National Drug, Substance Abuse Control and Enforcement Agency Bill.

• Police Amendment Bill.

• Biological and Toxin Weapons Crimes Bill.

• Postal and Telecommunications Amendment.

4. Active Debate

Several bills are currently in the middle of legislative debate (Second Reading or Committee Stage):

• Medical Services Amendment: Currently in the Senate.

• Climate Change Management: In the National Assembly (Second Reading).

• Public Procurement: In the National Assembly (Second Reading).

• Zimbabwe School Examinations Council Amendment: In Committee Stage.

Summary Table by Status

Three bills are currently “stalled” because they have received an Adverse Report from the Parliamentary Legal Committee (PLC).

Detailed table