Tinotenda Hove – Lawyers and legal experts say the sharp rise in divorce applications recorded in 2025 reflects deepening economic pressures, changing social norms, increased legal awareness and persistent challenges such as infidelity and labour migration.

Statistics from the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) show that the High Court of Zimbabwe received 3,989 divorce applications between January and December last year, representing a 27 percent increase from the 3,138 cases filed in 2024.

Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) chairperson and lawyer Fungayi Jessie Majome attributed the increase largely to improved access to justice and growing legal awareness, particularly among women.

“There is now greater awareness in terms of legal remedies essential for empowering individuals to protect their rights, prevent exploitation and access justice,” Majome said.
She added that the expansion of state-supported legal services has played a critical role.

“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,” she said.

“This has enabled people who previously could not afford private lawyers to seek legal redress.”
Bulawayo-based lawyer Nikiwe Ncube-Tshabalala pointed to economic hardships and labour migration as major drivers of marital breakdowns.

“You have people going to the diaspora or couples separating because of economic reasons. Marriages become intolerable, leading to divorce,” she said.

She also noted the erosion of traditional support systems. “In the past, families played a central role in grooming couples, but now that support system has weakened,” Ncube-Tshabalala said, adding that “some people are also entering marriages for the wrong reasons.”

Counsellor and lawyer Prince Butshe-Dube said divorce filings are increasingly influenced by broader social and cultural changes, including shifting expectations within marriage. He observed that women are now more emancipated and financially independent, making it easier for them to leave unhealthy or abusive relationships.

Family law expert Nozabelo Ndlovu echoed similar sentiments, citing financial instability as a key factor in marital breakdowns. She said many women are now able to support themselves and their families without relying solely on their spouses, reducing the pressure to remain in unhappy marriages.

Meanwhile, retired High Court judge Justice Lawrence Kamocha said infidelity remains the leading cause of divorce, often exacerbated by long separations linked to diaspora employment.

He noted that young and newly married couples account for the majority of divorce cases and urged parents to refrain from interfering in their children’s marriages. Justice Kamocha also highlighted physical and emotional abuse as growing contributors to the rising number of divorce applications.