The Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe has dismissed an application challenging the validity of the Private Voluntary Organisations Act, 2025, in a case brought by Passionate Fuza and Jona Wakurawarehwa against the Parliament of Zimbabwe and the President of Zimbabwe [CCZ36/25].
In a statement, the Office of the Attorney-General of Zimbabwe said: “On the 6th of February 2026, the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe dismissed an application challenging the validity of the Private Voluntary Organisations Act, 2025.”
The applicants had argued that Parliament failed to comply with Section 141 of the Constitution, alleging that “public hearings in Harare and Masvingo were disrupted and ended prematurely, denying citizens the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to the Bill.”
They sought an order invalidating the Act on the basis that Parliament had failed to meet the constitutional threshold of public participation.
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Parliament disputed the allegations, maintaining that hearings were properly conducted and that committee reports reflected public submissions.
The statement further noted that the President, who had initially been cited as second respondent, was removed from the proceedings because “there was no relief being sought against him and nothing had been pleaded warranting impugning his decision to assent to the Bill.”
In dismissing the challenge, the court held: “To succeed, Applicants had to demonstrate either that Parliament entirely failed to involve the public in the legislative process, or that its facilitation was merely superficial and symbolic, lacking genuine substance. This, the Applicants failed and hence the application was accordingly dismissed.”
The ruling upholds the validity of the Private Voluntary Organisations Act, 2025 and affirms Parliament’s conduct of the legislative process in this instance.
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