The death penalty for murder was abolished by the Zimbabwean cabinet, the country's Ministry of Information, Publicity & Broadcasting said on Tuesday.
The cabinet approved the Private Member's Memorandum on the Abolition of the Death Penalty Bill, which was first presented to the parliament last year. This legislation abolishes the death penalty, which was imposed by British colonial administrators in Zimbabwe.
"To retain the deterrent element in sentencing murderers, it is expected that the new law will impose lengthy sentences without violating the right to life. The existence of aggravating circumstances may attract life sentences," Information Minister Jenfan Muswere told the media.
The last execution in the country happened in 2005, almost 20 years ago.
The country's President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who previously faced the possibility of execution under the white-minority government of Ian Smith, against which he actively fought during the liberation war, has consistently spoken out against the use of the death penalty.
With this decision, Zimbabwe joins the majority of nations in the world that have eliminated death penalty.
The most recent African countries to abolish the death penalty for common crimes are Ghana (2023), Zambia (2022) and Equatorial Guinea (2022). The Central African Republic (2022) and Sierra Leone (2021) have abolished the death penalty for all crimes.