Polygamy in Zimbabwe

Polygamy is the practice of having more than one spouse; while prohibited under Zimbabwean civil law, polygamous marriages may be performed under the country's customary law. Less than one-fifth of the country's population are engaged in polygamy.

Legality

In Zimbabwean civil law, the Marriage Act of Zimbabwe only recognises monogamous marriages.[1] However, the majority of marriages in Zimbabwe are customary; the relevant African Marriages Act of Zimbabwe recognises both polygamous and "potentially polygamous" unions. Moreover, most of these customary marriages are unregistered.[2]

Incidence

Polygamy in Zimbabwe was traditionally practised by the tribal chiefs as a means of elevating their social standing, though they would typically only take two or three wives.[3] According to a 2008 William & Mary Law School study, an estimated 18 percent of Zimbabwean women belong to polygamous marriages.[2] The study suggested that there may be a decrease in the incidence of polygamy in Zimbabwe due to an ever-weakening economy that would not enable men to financially support multiple partners.[2] Furthermore, polygamy in Zimbabwe has been criticised by various mainstream Christian groups that 80 percent of the country identify with.[2] A separate 2008 study by the University of Fort Hare stated that polygamy was more prevalent in rural Zimbabwe and especially among the Shona people; it also argued that "polygamy ... seems to propagate child sexual abuse in schools because it sees no boundary between adults and children."[4]

Notable marriages

In September 2012, Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai customarily married Elizabeth Macheka, following a court ruling that he could not legally marry her in light of his already being engaged to two other women, Locardia Karimatsenga and Nosipho Regina Shilubane. However, a spokesperson for Tsvangirai said that the prime minister only wished to have one wife.[5]

References
  1. "Marriage Act (Chapter 5:11)". Zimbabwe Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  2. Gher, Jaime M. "Polygamy and Same-Sex Marriage – Allies or Adversaries Within the Same-Sex Marriage Movement". William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice. 14 (3): 595-596.
  3. Wilfred N. Tichagwa (1994). Children and Women in Zimbabwe: A Situation Analysis, Update 1994. UNICEF. p. 46.
  4. Megan J. Smith (2008). Child Sexual Abuse: Issues and Challenges. Nova Publishers. p. 129. ISBN 9781600219993.
  5. "Zimbabwe PM marries woman under polygamy custom". Reuters. 16 September 2012.
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