Lecturer

Dr Sharon Hofisi

Qualifications: P.h.D Law (University of Pretoria), MSC international Relations (UZ), LLM (UZ), LLBS (Hons.) Law (UZ), BA Theology (CCC), Dip, Social and Economic Rights (Abo Akademi University), Dip Christian Leadership and Religious Studies (AMFCC), Cert. Film and Television (UZ), Basic Counselling Cert. UZ and Msasa Project

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Dr S. Hofisi holds a P.h.D. in law from the University of Pretoria and LLM, MSCIR and LLBS from the University of Zimbabwe (UZ). He is a trans-disciplinary researcher and positive change enthusiast and teaches international law, administrative law and international trade law in the Governance and Public Management Department at the University of Zimbabwe. He has consulted for Parliament of Zimbabwe, ZIMCODD and AFRODAD. He has published works in journal articles and book chapters on many trans-disciplinary issues such as transitional justice, social policy, law, elections, politics and public administration.  He authored a book: Student’s Sourcebook on State Legal Liability and is working on the book: The Missing Middle. Hofisi organized a workshop on Tokyo International Conference on Africa’s Development at the UZ where Professor Sadaharu Kataoka from Waseda University in Japan presented. Hofisi is also a notary public, conveyancer and lawyer and amassed significant experience when he worked in the Ministry of Justice as a public prosecutor, in private practice with several law firms and as a senior projects lawyer with the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.  He also vitalises consultancy work for state and non-state institutions, including research institutes and volunteer-driven institutions.

Research Interests

Transitional justice, institutional law and development, child development, Religion and law, sociology of law, social work and social policy, vulnerable and key populations,  international refugee law, strategic impact litigation, constitutional analysis, African and United Nations human rights systems, International human rights, international humanitarian law, environmental law, international trade law.

Publications and Research Profile

Community Service

Hofisi contributed Shona poems on constitutionalism and various human rights issues to the Shona poetry book, ‘Hodzeko Dzenduri’ which is a set book for ‘A’ Level Students under the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council. Two of the poems, ‘Bunha kudya Mutupo’ and ‘Chero Ndofa’ were popularised through song. He also wrote a book on ‘O’ Level heritage approved by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. To promote access to justice on a pro bono basis, Hofisi registers trusts and advises community-based and faith-based organizations; works with affected communities including indigents as a lawyer; aligned to a rights institute that embosses positive social change for communities; uses arts for social change through music; is a newspaper columnist and frequents state radio programs on political and constitutional analysis. Programs include late night politics Star FM, ZBC, ZIFM, and Classic FM. He also takes court cases on an in forma pauperis (civil cases for poor people) and pro deo (for God criminal cases). He also volunteers for the Global Access to Justice Project which surveys the status of access to justice across the globe.

Innovation

• Takes strength in trans-disciplinarity and essentialises assignable analysis to social science innovation. 
• Embosses social innovation through the Rights Institute which catalyses and crystalises positive social change
• Embosses social innovation in accessing social justice by participating in the Global Access to Justice surveys on the impact of Covid-19 on access to justice across the globe and also in writing a book on access to justice from the perspective of the state, non-state, civil society, independent institutions supporting democracy, academia, the media and other key pillars, again under the auspices of the Global Access to Justice.
• Advises clients on how to navigate legal issues on key innovative issues such as using the ICTs or smartphones to grow their businesses.
• Visibilises and essentialises the design of models that speak to innovation by undergraduate and postgraduate students under my supervision at the University of Zimbabwe.
• Publishing works that speak to the national heritage-based innovation software from the social science and humanities.

Industrialisation

• Visibilising the UZ’s agro-based industrial park through supervisory learning;
• Embossing the legal nomenclature of the natural sciences through social and legal lens.
• Contributing to nuanced analysis of primary and secondary industries at the tertiary industry stage;
• Teaching and researching on industrial relations and the Bill of Rights.