Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Court has set aside a High Court judgment that sought to widen access to lawful abortion, ruling that the lower court did not complete the legal analysis required before striking down a law.

In a judgment delivered on 14 October 2026, the apex court declined to confirm the High Court’s declarations that provisions of the Termination of Pregnancy Act were unconstitutional, according to reports by NewZimbabwe.com and The Herald. The High Court had found the law unconstitutional to the extent that it excluded mental health as a ground for lawful termination, and that its definition of “unlawful intercourse” did not cover conduct prohibited under the Mental Health Act.

Writing for the court, Justice Bharat Patel said the High Court had not separately applied the test in section 86(2) of the Constitution, which asks whether a limitation on rights is fair, reasonable, necessary and justifiable in an open, just and democratic society. “A finding that the impugned legislation limits a constitutional right does not, without more, render that legislation unconstitutional,” he said.

The case was brought by the Community Working Group on Health and legislator and activist Nyasha Batitsa against the Health and Justice ministers, the Attorney-General and Parliament. The applicants argued that physical and mental health cannot be separated, and warned that forcing women with severe psychiatric conditions to continue a pregnancy could expose them to suicide, postpartum psychosis and lasting psychological harm.

The government defended the law, arguing that it is already broad enough to cover health conditions that threaten a woman’s life, and cautioning against a blanket approach to mental health conditions, which vary in severity. Pro-life groups that took part as friends of the court said expanding the grounds was a matter for Parliament.

The court also rejected any suggestion that Parliament’s decisions are beyond judicial review. “The conduct and decisions of Parliament, like any other exercise of public power, are subject to constitutional review by this Court,” Justice Patel said.

Importantly, the ruling is not a finding that excluding mental health from the abortion grounds is constitutionally justified. Both outlets report that the court’s decision turned on how the High Court reached its conclusion, leaving the broader question of whether mental health should be a lawful ground unresolved in these proceedings. The Act dates back to the 1970s.

Sources: NewZimbabwe.com, The Herald.

Foreign-owned businesses operating in sectors reserved for Zimbabweans face having their licences suspended or revoked, the government said after Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, as it moves from awareness campaigns to enforcement.

According to both The Herald and NewZimbabwe.com, inspections covered more than 3,000 companies across all 10 provinces. Cabinet was told that most foreign operators had not regularised their status despite campaigns and formal non-compliance notices. The Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the briefing said, will suspend or revoke the operating licences of non-compliant businesses in reserved sectors.

The rules come from Statutory Instrument 215 of 2025, gazetted in December 2025, which reserves 17 sectors for Zimbabwean citizens. Thirteen are reserved exclusively for locals, including borehole drilling, clearing and customs, tobacco grading, estate agencies and artisanal mining. In four others, retail and wholesale, haulage and logistics, grain milling, and shipping and forwarding, foreign firms may take part only through exemptions or regularisation plans. Retail and brick moulding were cited as areas where foreign players still have a large presence.

Both outlets reported the same compliance figures: 693 formal applications received; 269 foreign operators applying to regularise by transferring 75 percent of equity to Zimbabwean citizens; 144 entities seeking confirmation of their local status; and 63 entities qualifying for statutory exemption by meeting investment thresholds or being recognised international brands. The reports do not explain how these categories relate to the 693 total.

The reports differ on who spoke at the briefing. NewZimbabwe names Information Minister Soda Zhemu, while The Herald names Acting Information Minister Prof Paul Mavima and credits Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu with the compliance update. Neither says how many licences have so far been withdrawn, what penalties will apply, or when enforcement begins.

Sources: The Herald (via Zimbabwe Situation); NewZimbabwe.com.

The Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) says it has fully repaid a US$206 million loan from the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), closing a debt that has weighed on the roads authority for years.

Board chairperson George Manyaya announced the repayment at ZINARA’s 10th annual general meeting in Harare. According to both The Herald and NewZimbabwe.com, the final payment was made on 30 September. “We no longer owe DBSA; we finished paying,” NewZimbabwe quoted him as saying.

The loan was secured in 2011 to fund the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Plumtree–Bulawayo–Harare–Mutare highway, one of the country’s main trade corridors. The two outlets give slightly different lengths for the road, so this report does not quote a figure.

The debt had repeatedly drawn scrutiny from Parliament. NewZimbabwe reported that Manyaya said the Public Accounts Committee had questioned ZINARA several times over the unpaid loan, and that clearing it was a priority for the current board because it stood in the way of raising further funding. The Herald reported that the repayment was presented as evidence that Zimbabwe honours its sovereign obligations and should help rebuild its credibility with lenders and unlock funding for infrastructure.

ZINARA collects road-user revenue, including licence and toll fees, and channels it to the maintenance and rebuilding of roads. With the DBSA obligation settled, the agency is expected to have more room to finance road works and to approach financiers, although neither report sets out specific new funding arrangements agreed on the strength of the repayment.

For motorists and transporters, the practical test will be whether the money once used to service the debt now translates into visible repairs on the country’s busiest routes.

Sources: The Herald (via Zimbabwe Situation); NewZimbabwe.com.