A quiet but powerful shift is underway at Great Zimbabwe University’s Herbert Chitepo Law School. Far from the traditional lecture halls and dusty casebooks, students are pioneering a new era in legal education—one that embraces technology, innovation, and the reimagining of justice in a digital world.
At the centre of this change is the AI and the Law Working Group, a student-led initiative launched on April 2. The group meets weekly to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming legal practice, governance, and access to justice. Their goal is ambitious: to not only understand the future of law but to help shape it. That momentum surged on May 7 with a landmark workshop titled “Rethinking the Future of Law: Innovation at the Core.” The event was facilitated by Jubilee Sibanda, an innovation advocate from the Great Zimbabwe University Innovation Hub, and brought fresh energy and perspective to the student movement.
Sibanda challenged participants to look beyond traditional legal roles. “Today’s law students must think like entrepreneurs, tech innovators, and policy designers,” he said. “They must move beyond interpreting the law to imagining and creating new systems of justice.”
This mindset is already taking root at the Law School. The 2025 AI and the Law Working Group has grown into more than a campus project—it’s a model for how legal education in Africa can be transformed. With students driving the agenda and academic mentors offering support, the initiative represents a living prototype of legal education that blends theory, innovation, and action. Inside this initiative, students are rethinking the foundations of legal practice. They’re questioning outdated systems, designing human-centred justice frameworks, and experimenting with digital tools to make legal services more accessible. And it’s all happening right here in Zimbabwe. At the helm of the 2025 Working Group is an energetic Executive Committee. Makanaka Nyabvure serves as President, with Tanaka Poshiwa as Vice President, Mavada Tanaka as Secretary, and Tinotenda Chemhuru leading public relations. Mande Blessing oversees ICT, supported by Tinashe Chigomba and Chimbura Courage in Hospitality. The Procurement and Hospitality team includes Mangisi Lillian, Sithabile Claire Tshuma, and Paula Nyatanga, while Musiwarwo Tsitsi heads Resource Mobilisation.
Behind the scenes, an Advisory Committee—comprising Muyambo Tinotenda, Thilivhali Vanessa Msipa, and Dorcas Makanganise—helps guide the group’s activities. The academic direction is provided by a panel of respected legal educators: Emerge Masiya, Douglas Musebenzi, and Tapiwa Moon.
Together, these students and mentors are redefining what legal education can be. They’re showing that Africa’s future lawyers don’t just need to adapt to change—they can lead it. As the AI and the Law Working Group continues to grow, so too does its potential to influence legal education across the country and the region. From Masvingo to the continent and beyond, the message is clear: the future of law is here—and it’s student-led.