Security Sector Reform in Zimbabwe

The document argues that Zimbabwe's security sector is heavily politicised and oriented toward regime security due to colonial legacies and liberation struggle ideologies. It recommends immediate interventions to prevent military coups, ensure regular payment of security personnel, and limit the use of the military in domestic affairs. Long-term goals include an incremental overhaul of the criminal justice system and the institutionalisation of accountability and transparency, though the author notes that comprehensive reform currently lacks political resonance.

• The Zimbabwean security sector is characterized by a focus on regime security over human security, resulting in a lack of public accountability and a tendency to use force against perceived enemies.
• Short-term priorities for reform include removing the risk of military coups by providing exit options for senior staff, limiting military involvement in domestic interventions, and ensuring regular wages for security personnel to prevent instability.
• Immediate actions are needed to address the misuse of police and judicial systems, including human rights training for law enforcement, addressing gender-based violence, and improving the dire conditions and overcrowding in prisons.
• Long-term reform of the criminal justice system must be incremental due to the fragility of the current political environment, focusing eventually on judicial independence and the end of impunity.
• Fundamental security sector reform currently lacks political resonance; therefore, initial changes will likely be based on strategic political accommodation and technocratic interventions rather than widespread democratic reform.

APA

Hendricks, C., & Hutton, L. (2009). Security Sector Reform in Zimbabwe. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/JUL09SSRZIMBABWE.PDF

Chicago

Hendricks, Cheryl, and Lauren Hutton. Security Sector Reform in Zimbabwe. Institute for Security Studies, 2009. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/JUL09SSRZIMBABWE.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hendricks |first1=Cheryl |last2=Hutton |first2=Lauren |title=Security Sector Reform in Zimbabwe |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=June 2009 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/JUL09SSRZIMBABWE.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hendricks2009security, author = {Hendricks, Cheryl and Hutton, Lauren}, title = {{Security Sector Reform in Zimbabwe}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2009}, month = jun, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/JUL09SSRZIMBABWE.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }