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Cooperation
between the Test Case Committee of the Legal Resources Foundation and
the Canadian Bar Association
Legal Resources
Foundation (LRF)
April 03, 2003
The Legal Resources
Foundation, which is a registered private voluntary organization, operates
a Test Case Committee, the objects of which are:
- to undertake test
cases which will establish new legal precedents to protect the human
rights of Zimbabweans in all areas of the law;
- to undertake public
interest cases which, while not establishing new principles in Zimbabwe
law, will nevertheless be of widespread benefit to members of the public
and in so doing might change the attitudes of the public and Government
regarding issues of general concern to Zimbabweans; and
- to promote a human
rights test case culture in the judiciary, legal profession and public
of Zimbabwe generally.
While the Legal Resources
Foundation is responsible for managing the test case programme, the LRF
works together with a coalition of Zimbabwe human rights organizations.
Decisions on which cases to take up are made by a committee with representation
from Musasa Project, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Zimbabwe Women
Lawyers Association, Zimrights and the LRF itself.
Since 1998, the programme
has had significant results, particularly through constitutional applications
to the Supreme Court.
The Test Case Committee
has recently entered into a one-year project with the Canadian Bar Association
and has received generous funding for this. This will enable the Committee
to substantially expand its Test Case Programme.
The project with the
Canadian Bar Association includes cooperation with the Legal Resources
Centre in South Africa and the Canadian Bar Association in preparing and
researching into cases to put before Zimbabwe Courts. Both the Legal Resources
Centre in South Africa and the Canadian Bar Association have had a similar
arrangement for a number of years and have greatly benefited from it.
We ourselves should benefit greatly from the considerable expertise of
both organizations.
The Test Case Committee
is therefore appealing to organizations, individuals and lawyers to submit
cases that fall into at least one of the above three categories. Applications
should be made to the Test Case Committee for its consideration. Each
case should contain :
- a summary of the
facts of the case;
- the relevance of
the case in relation to one or more of the three categories mentioned
above;
- the legal action
that is proposed to deal with the case concerned;
- an estimate of
the legal costs involved; and
- the prospects of
success of the legal action.
Applications should
be made in the first instance to:
The National Director,
Legal Resources Foundation.
Physical address : 5th
Floor, Blue Bridge, Eastgate, Second Street, Harare.
Postal address : P.O.
Box 918, Harare.
Telephone : (0)4-251171
– 4.
Fax : (0)4-728213.
E-mail : lrfhre@mweb.co.zw
Visit the LRF fact sheet
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
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