Articles
BSR: Good Governance – Public Goods and the Free-Rider Problem
In this article, I borrow a concept from economics to make what I hope is a persuasive argument for why more of us should...
BSR: A State of Injustice
Justitia in trouble
Lady Justice is regarded as a universal symbol of justice. She holds balance scales in one hand and a sword in the...
BSR: Why Constitutional Literacy Matters
If you take a group of 4 Zimbabweans, there is a high probability that at least 3 of them will be able to cite...
BSR: How the constitutional crisis could have been avoided
The Government of Zimbabwe is the author of the current constitutional crisis where it is unclear how the dispute over Constitutional Amendment No. 2...
BSR Special: Explaining the historic High Court judgment
The High Court of Zimbabwe today issued a historic judgment in which it declared that the Chief Justice ceased to hold office by operation...
BSR: The Chief Justice Who Refuses to Go
The problem of clinging on to office used to be a monopoly of politicians. Zimbabwe’s Chief Justice has challenged and eclipsed the politicians. Chief...
BSR: Why Zimbabwe is Hurtling towards a Constitutional Crisis
Zimbabwe is hurtling into a constitutional crisis with the two recent amendments to the national constitution. Amendment No. 2 has been hurried through at...
BSR: Why Amendment No. 2 Fails the Section 328 Test
Inspired by Nature
The Mimusa Pudica, also referred to as the sensitive plant, is quite a special plant. When touched by a foreign object, its...
BSR: Demolition Job – How the regime is unmaking the new constitution
A dark day for constitutionalism
Tuesday 20 April has been described by some as a “dark day” for constitutionalism in Zimbabwe. It was the day...
BSR: Independence – the cheque that continues to bounce
Zimbabwe turns 41 on Sunday 18 April 2021. It will be the second independence anniversary during the COVID-19 pandemic, which means there is no...
BSR: When Electoral Reform Becomes Democratic Reversal
Prologue: Reactionary Reforms
Whenever people talk about elections in Zimbabwe, the next words are almost always ‘electoral reforms.’ Some even go so far as to...
Zimbabwe’s illegal constitutional amendment
Although Zimbabwe's democracy has been comatose for a long time, today marks yet another setback.
Zimbabwe's Senate voted to pass Constitutional Amendment (No. 1) Bill...
BSR: Constitutional Amendments – A Cocktail of Illegalities
1. A month ago, on 25 February 2021, the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe (hereafter “the Court”) issued an important judgment that largely went unnoticed....
BSR: An intersectional approach to the democratic struggle in Zimbabwe
An Eclectic Mix
When the MDC was formed in 1999, one of its most conspicuous features was that it was an eclectic mix of groups...
BSR – Political Reforms – What the MDC Alliance can do
The challenge of problem-solving
When you have spent a long time trying to solve a problem, you might reach a point where you start believing...