HIV Decriminalisation Tested As Traditional Court Orders Woman To Pay Cow Over Alleged Transmission
Zimbabwe abolished a law that criminalised HIV transmission four years ago. But a recent traditional court case in Shamva has raised fresh questions about whether people living with or affected by HIV can still face punitive consequences outside the formal criminal justice system.
Chief Nyamaropa, Munyaradzi Tivange, recently ordered a woman to pay a beast to her husband after alleging that she infected him with HIV during an extramarital relationship. The ruling was delivered during a traditional court proceeding broadcast on Zimquick Television, a YouTube channel, on September 15, 2026.
The case involved a woman in a polygamous marriage and a neighbour who is also reportedly in a polygamous marriage. According to the proceedings, the two allegedly entered into an intimate relationship, with the chief linking the relationship to the husband’s alleged HIV infection.
But there was no medical evidence presented in the televised proceedings establishing that the woman transmitted HIV to her husband.
