Creating Social Harmony: Justice on the Ground in Mudzi and Hurungwe Districts, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Most writings on women’s encounters of justice within the customary setting in Africa tend to portray women as oppressed actors who are consistently marginalised. My focus in this chapter is on the experiences of women living under customary arrangements in Hurungwe and Mudzi Districts in Zimbabwe to establish the complex ways in which justice is exercised through the dare (court) system. My research findings suggest that while on the surface community courts are deemed to be male-dominated, gender and power relations are held in balance through relational connections and the complementary duties and responsibilities members of the community hold. People in Hurungwe and Mudzi Districts describe the relationships that bind people together and the value of the dignity of all. Their relational bonds have seemingly been fostered through socio-cultural norms and values enshrined in Hunhuism.