THE Sexual Offences and Gender-Based Violence Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) handled 8 851 cases in 2025, achieving a clearance rate of 95,25% and a conviction rate of 95,84% — results that reflect a commitment to trauma-informed prosecution and the protection of vulnerable communities.
This highlights progress made by the NPAZ in strengthening the prosecution of sexual and gender-based violence cases, improving access to justice for survivors and intensifying efforts to combat corruption and recover illicit assets.
Prosecutor-General Loyce Matanda-Moyo made the remarks while addressing legal practitioners during belated International Women’s Day commemorations hosted by Women in Law and the Law Society of Zimbabwe over the weekend.
Matanda-Moyo said justice for vulnerable groups was central to societal healing.
Her presentation, anchored on the theme Give to Gain, underscored the need for collective responsibility in building a transparent and effective justice system aligned with national development goals.
“The Sexual Offences and Gender-Based Violence Unit handled 8 851 cases in 2025, achieving a 95,25% clearance rate and an equally impressive 95,84% conviction rate.
“These outcomes, delivered with trauma-informed sensitivity, affirm our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of society. When we give specialised, compassionate care to survivors, we gain not just convictions — we gain societal healing,” she said.
Matanda-Moyo also emphasised that delivering justice involves not only protecting the vulnerable but also holding the powerful to account.
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“This past year alone, our Asset Forfeiture and International Cooperation Unit secured preservation orders valued at US$18,9 million and forfeiture orders amounting to US$32,3 million — bringing the total value of preserved and recovered illicit assets to US$51,2 million. These results send an unequivocal message: crime will not pay and the proceeds of corruption will be stripped away,” she said.
She further highlighted a key intervention aimed at improving access to justice for survivors of assault, many of whom previously faced delays in pursuing cases due to the cost of medical affidavits.
“In our pursuit of access to justice, I noticed that victims of assault and physical abuse, particularly women, were experiencing prolonged delays as cases remained parked while they struggled to raise funds for medical affidavits.
“Women, who had already suffered violence, were being victimised again — this time by poverty and bureaucracy. I am pleased to report that medical affidavits are now provided free of charge to victims of assault.
“This intervention has removed a significant financial barrier, expedited case finalisation and ensured that survivors no longer face the injustice of delay,” she said.
Matanda-Moyo also challenged legal practitioners, particularly women, to extend their influence beyond courtrooms to their communities by mentoring young girls and confronting harmful practices such as child sexual abuse and property grabbing in rural areas.
She further called on women in leadership positions to uplift others, warning that being the only woman in leadership should not be mistaken for success.
“When it is your turn to hold the door open, do not close it behind you. That is the rotten logic of the Queen Bee syndrome — a poison that creeps into some professional circles where the woman who reaches the top pulls the ladder up behind her, believing that if she is the ‘only one,’ she is somehow more special, more valuable, more rare.
“If you are the only woman at the table, you are not successful — you are isolated. And isolation is not power; it is vulnerability. It is a lie that there is only room for one woman at the top. That is not power; that is betrayal,” she said.
