Lawyers say the surge in divorce applications in 2025 is attributable to infidelity, increased legal awareness and access to justice, economic challenges, labour migration, and a decline in traditional family structures, among other factors.
According to statistics from the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), the High Court of Zimbabwe received 3,989 divorce applications between January and December last year, a 27 per cent increase from the 3,138 cases recorded in 2024.
Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) chairperson Fungayi Jessie Majome, who is also a lawyer, attributed the rise in divorce filings to greater legal awareness and access to justice, particularly among women. Said Majome:
“There is now greater awareness in terms of legal remedies essential for empowering individuals to protect their rights, prevent exploitation and access justice.
“The Legal Aid Directorate is now spread across the country, offering free legal advice and representation to indigent persons in matters such as divorce, maintenance, domestic violence and property disputes.
“This has enabled people who previously could not afford private lawyers to seek legal redress.”
Bulawayo-based lawyer Nikiwe Ncube-Tshabalala said that economic challenges and labour migration were major factors contributing to marital breakdowns. Said Ncube-Tshabalala:
“You have people going to the diaspora or couples separating because of economic reasons. Marriages become intolerable, leading to divorce.
“In the past, families played a central role in grooming couples, but now that support system has weakened.
“Some people are also entering marriages for the wrong reasons.”
Counsellor and lawyer Prince Butshe-Dube said that divorce filings are increasingly driven by social and cultural changes, including shifting expectations within marriage.
He added that women are now more emancipated and financially independent than in the past, making it easier for them to leave unhealthy marriages.
Family law expert Nozabelo Ndlovu noted that a lack of financial stability also contributes to the breakdown of marriages.
She added that many women can now support themselves and their families without relying solely on their spouses.
Meanwhile, retired High Court judge Justice Lawrence Kamocha said infidelity remains the leading cause of divorce, often worsened by prolonged separations linked to diaspora employment.
Justice Kamocha said young and newly married couples make up the majority of divorce cases, and he urged parents to avoid interfering in their children’s marriages.
He further cited physical and emotional abuse as growing contributors to divorce.
Related:
Divorce Applications Soar 27% In Zimbabwe
Supreme Court Orders NMB Founder And Anglican Bishop To Surrender Mansions To His EX-Wife