02 September 2021

Dear Partners, Colleagues and Stakeholders

RE: STAFF CHANGES AT THE ZIMBABWE ENVIRONMENTAL LAW ASSOCIATION

It is my hope that this email finds you well during these uncertain and unprecedented times.

Despite the chaos in the world that has kept our nerves constantly on edge, it gives me immense pleasure to inform you that the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) will this September welcome on board new staff members. These are, Leon Dzumbira,the Africa Institute for Environmental Law (AIEL) Research Fellow,Obert Bore, the Chinese Investments Fellow and Tatenda Mapoodze, the Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) volunteer. Leon has a Masters in Constitutional Litigation and Human Rights, Obert has a Masters in International Trade Law while Tatenda has a Bachelor of Science Honours in Mining Engineering. These additions reflect our growth trajectory as an organization in natural resources governance. They all  bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise  which  we hope will take ZELA to new heights.  

Dear Partners, Colleagues and Stakeholders, the ZELA Board of Trustees,Board Members and Staff are grateful for your support. Despite the continued challenges the world has presented to us, we  have been able to navigate and overcome these because of  your solidarity and goodwill.   Over the past two decades and as we look forward to celebrating our 20^th anniversary this year ,you have made our  vision a reality, a dream inspired by nothing besides helping poor and disadvantaged communities to use the law as a tool to demand , assert and claim their Environmental, Economic, Social and Cultural rights.

As we welcome the new Team, we also take time to reflect on how the journey began.The idea of a public interest environmental law organization was realized on the 30th of September 2000 and a year later  on the 24th September 2001, ZELA was registered. It all began with a single staff member and today we take pride in thirty staff members from various professional backgrounds including law, social sciences, economics, and accounting. All this has been made possible as a result of people like you, striving to make a positive change in their different spheres of influence.  Without concerted efforts we could be writing a totally different story.

Thank-you for being part of our story, a legacy which twenty years ago we could only imagine.

Yours Sincerely,

Mutuso Dhliwayo

(ZELA Executive Director)