University of Zimbabwe

Faculty of Law Referencing Guide

This guide is based on the style of the University of

Zimbabwe Law Journal

1
Introduction
The editors will only accept contributions that comply with the following:
Ø The submission should be original
Ø The submission should not have been published elsewhere. However, the
Editors may consider republication of an article that has been published
elsewhere if the authorization of the other publisher is provided. If the
article has been or will be submitted for publication elsewhere, this must be
clearly stated.
Ø Each submission should be written in UK English.
Ø Each article submitted should be accompanied by a brief profile of the
author (qualifications and professional or academic status), a brief abstract
(250-300 words maximum) and at least four key words.
Ø The University of Zimbabwe Law Journal utilises plagiarism detection
software. The contributor should ensure that submissions do not infringe
other persons’ intellectual property rights.
Ø Papers should average between 5 000 and 12 000 words (including
footnotes) in length.
Ø The main text should be in 12-point Trebuchet MS with 1.15 spacing and
footnotes should be in 10-point Trebuchet MS with 1.15 spacing.
Ø Quotations less than 30 words should be in quotation marks and italicized.
Quotations longer than 30 words should be indented and in 11-point
Trebuchet MS with 1.15 spacing and should not be placed in quotation
marks.
Ø The citation style to be used when referring to Zimbabwean case law and
legislation is set out below.
Ø Footnotes should be numbered consecutively
Ø The editors reserve the right to change manuscripts to make them in
conformity with the house style, to improve accuracy, to eliminate mistakes
and ambiguity, and to bring the manuscript in line with the tenets of plain
legal language.

In-text citation
When writing a paper, you must acknowledge within the body of your paper:
• Details of the sources of facts and information and quotes you have used.
• The exact page/s on which the information came from
• Even when you put information in your own words the source must be
acknowledged. Basically, any information that is not your own must be
acknowledged.
To acknowledge a source in your paper, place a superscript number (raised
slightly above the line) immediately after the end punctuation of a sentence

1
containing the quotation, paraphrase, or summary - as, for example, at the end of
this sentence.1
Do not put any punctuation after the number.

Footnotes
Every superscript is corresponded by a footnote
Footnote is a brief detail of sources of information used, recorded at the bottom of
the page on which the information source is referred to
• Your footnotes must reflect the sources you have actually used; you may not
simply copy or transfer footnotes from a source into your own work
• Footnotes are also used in legal writing to provide extra information on an
idea from the main part of your assignment that would otherwise make the
main part of your assignment too clumsy
• You need to provide sufficient details for the reader to locate the item you
are footnoting.
• Footnotes are complemented by a bibliography at the end of the paper.
• Footnotes should be numbered consecutively
• Footnotes start with capitals, except if they start with ‘n’ (note) e.g. ‘n 17
above’
• Journals are not abbreviated – provide full title, e.g. not JAC, but Journal
of African Law
• Use ‘&’ when referring to articles and authors (arts 1 & 2; De Waal & Currie;
Chamisa v Mnangagwa & 24 others ); use ‘and’ in full sentences

Bibliography

Footnotes are complemented by a bibliography at the end of the paper.

A bibliography is a list of the books and other sources that are referred to in a
scholarly work-such as an essay, term paper, dissertation, or a book. ...

The bibliography lists the references in alphabetical order, regardless of the style
or format

Judgments, Reported Judgments and Legislation are not included in the

Bibliography

1
(place your footnote here)
2
Footnoting format examples

Books

Basic format: (footnotes)

Initials and surname(s) of author(s) or editor(s), Title of book, (title underlined or

in italics) Edition (only when other than the first edition), Publisher, Year. Page/s.

Books with one author

In footnotes (first reference)
G Feltoe, A Guide to the Zimbabwean Law of Delict, Legal Resources Foundation,
2018. 30.
I Maja, The Law of Contract in Zimbabwe, Maja Foundation, 2015.

In footnotes (subsequent references)

Feltoe (n 2 above) 350 (No initials)
Maja (n 9 above) 123 (No initials)

In bibliography
Feltoe, G. A Guide to the Zimbabwean Law of Delict. Harare: Legal Resources
Foundation, 2018.
Maja, I. The Law of Contract in Zimbabwe. Harare: Maja Foundation, 2015.

Books with three authors

In footnotes
J Neethling, JM Potgieter PJ Visser, Law of delict, LexisNexis, 2015

Books with more than three authors

In footnotes
J Stewart et al, Pursuing grounded theory in law: South-North experiences in
developing women's law, Mond Books, 1998.
Chapters in a book
In footnotes
L Madhuku ‘Contract of employment: Formation and operation’ Labour Law in
Zimbabwe, 2015, 25.

In bibliography
Madhuku, L. "Contract of Employment: Formation and Operation’." In Labour Law
in Zimbabwe, 25-35. Harare: Weaver Press, 2015.

3
E-book
In footnotes
L Madhuku, An Introduction to Zimbabwean Law, Weaver Press, 2006. ProQuest
EBook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uzlib-
ebooks/detail.action?docID=1135160.

In bibliography
Madhuku, L. An Introduction to Zimbabwean Law. Harare: Weaver Press, 2006.
Accessed April 30, 2019. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uzlib-
ebooks/detail.action?docID=1135160 .

Journal articles
Basic Format ( in footnotes)

Initials and surname(s) of author(s) or editor(s), Title of article, Year, Vol Number,
Issue Number. Title of the Journal (title underlined or in italics) Page/s.

B Mushohwe, Child prostitution in Zimbabwe and the tragedy of the ‘victim by

choice’ tag: An overview, 2018. Vol 1 No 1. University of Zimbabwe Law Journal
11.

M Gwisai, C Mucheche & R Matsikidze, The right to strike in Zimbabwe in the

context of the 2013 Constitution and international law in Vol 1 No 1 University of
Zimbabwe Law Journal 35.

In bibliography
Mushohwe, B. “Child Prostitution in Zimbabwe and the Tragedy of the ‘Victim by
Choice’ Tag: An Overview.” University of Zimbabwe Law Journal 1, No. 1 (2018):
11–17.

Online Journal Articles

In footnotes
N Wadesango, S Rembe & O Chabaya, Violation of Women’s Rights by Harmful
Traditional Practices in Vol 13 No 2 The Anthropologist, 121.
DOI: 10.1080/09720073.2011.11891187

In bibliography
Wadesango, N., Symphorosa, R., and Chabaya, O, "Violation of Women’s Rights by
Harmful Traditional Practices." The Anthropologist 13, No. 2 (2011): 121-29.
doi:10.1080/09720073.2011.11891187.

4
Theses and dissertations
In footnotes
R Matsikidze ‘The civil procedure in the magistrates court of Zimbabwe: A denial
of justice to self actors? (Unpublished thesis, University of Zimbabwe, 2014) 201.

In bibliography
Matsikidze, R. "The Civil Procedure in the Magistrates Court of Zimbabwe: A Denial
of Justice to Self Actors?" LLM thesis., University of Zimbabwe, 2014.

Newspapers articles
In footnotes
P Kamurira, ‘Magistrate doubts suspect’s trustworthiness’ The Sunday Mail, 3 May
2019 at 32

In bibliography
Kamurira, P. "‘Magistrate Doubts Suspect’s Trustworthiness’." The Sunday Mail
(Harare), May 3, 2019.

Magazine
In footnotes
E Ncube, “2 New Magistrates Join Bench.” The Miranda, March 2019 at 19.

In bibliography
Ncube, Ephraim. "2 New Magistrates Join the Bench." The Miranda, March 2019,
19.

Websites
If the author of the article is unknown
"Don Nyamande & Anor v Zuva Petroleum SC 43/2015." Manokore Attorneys.
Accessed May 27, 2019.
https://www.manokore.com/publication/nyamandevzuva/.
If the author of the article is known
In footnotes
R Mutasa, Don Nyamande & Anor v Zuva Petroleum SC 43/2015." Manokore
Attorneys. Accessed May 27, 2019.
https://www.manokore.com/publication/nyamandevzuva/.

In bibliography
Mutasa, R. "Don Nyamande & Anor v Zuva Petroleum SC 43/2015." Manokore
Attorneys. Accessed May 27, 2019.
https://www.manokore.com/publication/nyamandevzuva/.

5
Reported Judgments

High Court cases

S v Makuvasa 2011 (1) ZLR 330 (H)
Witham v Minister of Home Affairs 1987 (2) ZLR 143 (H)

Appeal cases
S v Dube 1992 (2) ZLR 65 (S)
Minister of Home Affairs v Allan 1986 (1) ZLR 263 (S)

Unreported Judgments
Trial cases
S v Mpa HH-469-14
Mungate v City of Harare & Ors HH-328-16

Appeal cases
S v Jones S-154-94
Newlands Farm (Pvt) Ltd v Matanda Bros S-100-91

Reference to International Case Law

African Commission
If reported in African Human Rights Law Reports:
Muzerengwa and Others v Zimbabwe (2011) AHRLR 160 (ACHPR 2011)
If not reported in AHRLR:
Communication 101/93, Civil Liberties Organisation v Nigeria, Thirteenth Annual
Activity Report

Inter-American Commission
Santo Domingo Massacre v. Colombia, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
(8 July 2019)

Inter-American Court
VR v H IACHR (26 September 1986) Ser L/ Doc 8 Rev 1

European Court
Sramek v Austria ECHR (22 October 1984) Ser A 17
OR, if not in Series A
S v Austria (1998) EHRR 598

6
ICJ judgments
Case v Iran ICJ (24 May 1980) (1980) ICJ Reports 3

United Nations human rights treaty bodies

Communication 135/94, Bloomings v Italy, UNHR Committee (26 June 1996), UN
Doc CCPR/C/OP/1 (1984)

Legislation
Acts
Domestic Violence Act [Chapter 5:16]
The Chapter number is placed in square brackets and is italicised

Subsidiary legislation
Road Traffic (Safety-belt) Regulations, 1987 (SI 147/1987)
SI is the abbreviation for Statutory Instrument

Cross-Referencing

Footnotes referring to earlier footnotes should lead with the author’s surname (not
initials and surname as in the first reference) or the abbreviated name of a case or
authorless policy document:

Madhuku (n 16 above) 12-13.

Chamisa (n 17 above) para 99.

In order to avoid redundancy, an exception to this rule should be made when the
sentence to which the footnote attaches includes a reference to the author, case,
or document. In such cases, the format below should be used:

n 16 above, 12-13.
n 17 above, para 99.

Note that a comma should set off the page or paragraph reference in this last
format but not in the format above.

Subsequent Reference to Cases

First reference in text: In the well-known case of Chamisa v Mnangagwa and 24

others (Chamisa case)
Thereafter: The Chamisa case