Abstract:
This research examines the attitude that Zimbabwe portrays towards the protection, promotion and enforcement of the right to social security. Zimbabwe did not have a Constitution that provided for the realisation of the right to social security before 2013. With the enactment of the 2013 Constitution, many people now have a chance to enjoy economic, social and cultural rights (including social security) which ordinarily was not possible in the past.
Provision of the right to social security plays a pivotal role by assuring human dignity for people when they are faced with circumstances such as the deteriorating and unpredictable economic situation in Zimbabwe in recent years.
This study uses academic textbooks, journals, legislation, international treaties, newspaper reports and other sources of literature to analyse Zimbabwe’s outlook on social security and examines the structures, policies and institutions put in place to enforce the right to social security. The Constitutional provisions for social security are also analysed in the light of international instruments’ provisions of social security to find out if they are adequate and effective in the protection and promotion of social security in Zimbabwe. The study also examines the national polices; the national commission for human rights and the courts to determine their efficacy in their administration of the right to social security.
The Constitution of Zimbabwe states that when provisions of the declaration of rights and any legislation such as the provisions for the right to social security are being interpreted, international law and all treaties and conventions that Zimbabwe is a party to must be taken into consideration. Thus, in this study the application and influence on the enforcement of the right to social security by international law and all the treaties and conventions that Zimbabwe is a party to, are scrutinised.
Budgets mirror the government’s values and can be reflective of the attitude that a State has towards a priority. That is why the study also examines the budget allocation and spending patterns of Zimbabwe towards the protection and promotion of the right to social security.
