ACT-SA Demands Stronger Whistleblower Laws to Combat Enforced Disappearances in Zimbabwe

By Staff Writer

HARARE– The Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa (ACT-SA) has issued a stinging call to the Zimbabwean government to bolster the Whistleblower and Witness Protection Bill [H.B. 4, 2026], warning that the legislation must be robust enough to ensure that those who expose corruption and human rights abuses do not “disappear.”

Speaking in Harare on Tuesday to mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, ACT-SA Zimbabwe Chapter Director Munyaradzi Bidi stated that the new Bill is a critical test of the State’s commitment to protecting those who “speak truth to power.”

“Zimbabwe has known the pain of disappearances—during the liberation struggle and in the post-independence era,” Bidi said. “As a party to international human rights instruments, Zimbabwe carries an obligation to ensure that no person is made to disappear for exercising their right to speak.”

Bidi argued that the current draft of the Whistleblower and Witness Protection Bill must be measured against the “highest standard of protection.” He emphasized that the law should move beyond shielding informants from simple workplace retaliation, such as dismissal, and instead focus on physical safety and accountability.

Demands for Accountability

ACT-SA is advocating for several key amendments to the Bill to ensure its effectiveness, including:
* Independence: The creation of a truly independent and fully resourced protection authority, insulated from the very institutions that may be the subject of corruption complaints.

Mandatory Investigations Legislation requiring time-bound investigations whenever a protected person’s whereabouts or safety become uncertain.

Criminal Liability:

The introduction of criminal charges for State agents who conceal the fate or whereabouts of individuals in their custody.

**A Constitutional Safeguard**
The Trust highlighted Section 50(7)(a) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which grants any person the right to apply for a court order of *habeas corpus* if they believe another individual has been subjected to enforced disappearance. Bidi described this as a “forward-looking provision” that the Whistleblower Bill must complement.

“This is a direct constitutional response to the concealment of the fate and whereabouts of persons in State custody,” Bidi said. “The Whistleblower and Witness Protection Bill is the natural statutory complement to this constitutional guarantee.”

The call for legislative reform comes as Zimbabwe continues to navigate a complex human rights landscape. ACT-SA contends that without a “concrete legislative expression” of the State’s obligation to protect witnesses, the culture of silence will persist.

“On the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, we remember that silence has a price,” Bidi concluded, “and that speaking the truth should never cost a life.”