Section 112: Power of mercy
Constitution of Zimbabwe
(1) The President, after consultation with the Cabinet, may exercise the power of mercy, that is to say, may—
(a) grant a pardon to any person concerned in or convicted of an offence against any law;
(b) grant a respite from the execution of a sentence for any offence for an indefinite or
specified period;
(c) substitute a less severe punishment for that imposed for any offence; or
(d) suspend for a specified period or remit the whole or part of a sentence for any offence
or any forfeiture imposed in respect of any offence; and may impose conditions on any such pardon, respite, substitution or suspension.
(2) Where a person who is resident in Zimbabwe has been convicted in another country of an offence against a law in force in that country, the President may declare that the conviction is not to be regarded as a conviction for the purposes of this Constitution or any other law in force in Zimbabwe.
(3) The grant of a pardon or respite from execution of sentence or the substitution or suspension of a sentence must be published in the Gazette.
Power of Mercy: Key Insight
This section establishes the President's clemency powers, functioning as Zimbabwe's version of executive pardoning authority. While requiring Cabinet consultation, it ultimately gives the President significant discretion to mitigate punishments. The provision extending this power to foreign convictions is particularly notable, allowing the President to effectively nullify the domestic consequences of convictions from other countries for Zimbabwean residents.