Zimbabwe
Mixed: civil and common law
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Zimbabwe has a mixed system. Its general law is Roman-Dutch common law, brought from South Africa, with English-style procedure, and customary law is recognised for many family and land matters. Its Constitution of 2013 created a Constitutional Court.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Where the law comes from
- The Constitution of 2013, the highest law
- Acts of Parliament
- Roman-Dutch common law, developed by the courts
- Customary law, which the Constitution recognises
The main courts
- The Constitutional Court, the highest court on constitutional matters
- The Supreme Court, the highest court on other matters
- The High Court, magistrates' courts and customary law courts
Becoming a lawyer
A law degree and admission as a legal practitioner by the High Court, with membership of the Law Society.
What may surprise you
- Roman-Dutch law, rather than English common law, shapes private law, as in South Africa.
- Customary law applies to most Zimbabweans for marriage, inheritance and land.
- The constitutional court is separate from the Supreme Court.
Related systems
How this country is classified
The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Zimbabwe as: Civil law, Common law, Customary. It names the systems in order of importance.
The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.
Other countries in the same family
Sources
Sources last reviewed: October 2026.
TheLawToKnow Tools’s Legal Families Atlas is an educational overview. It simplifies on purpose, and it is not legal advice. For a real legal question about Zimbabwe, consult a lawyer qualified there. Report a mistake.
