Upenyu Chaota
HARARE— The Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) has appointed Dzikamai Bere as its national director replacing Okay Machisa effective January 1, 2020.
Bere is a seasoned human rights defender who has served the human rights community for over ten years.
Prior to his appointment, Bere was the programmes coordinator at the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, where he worked with various human rights stakeholders, including Zimrights structures, to advance the human rights agenda in Zimbabwe.
In a statement, ZimRights said that the appointment of Bere is a plus for the organization because he brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge.
“A firm believer in the dignity of every person, Bere brings to ZimRights a wealth of knowledge and experience in community engagement, human rights policy advocacy at both national and international levels, as well as expertise in multi-stakeholder coordination.
“As Zimbabwe’s oldest and largest grassroots human rights movement of over 200 000 ordinary people across the country, ZimRights welcomes Bere to its big family and wishes him well in his tenure.
“The board takes this opportunity to thank the outgoing national director Okay Machisa for his great work at ZimRights for the past ten years,” reads the statement.
Bere holds Bachelors’ degrees in Law and History, among other qualifications. In 2011, Bere was awarded a scholarship to study for a Masters in in Peace and Conflict Transformation at Swisspeace Academy in Basel, Switzerland
In 2017, Bere was recognized as one of Zimbabwe’s influential young leaders and invited to participate in the Mandela Washington Fellowship programme with a focus on Civic Leadership at the Presidential Precinct in Virginia, United States.
In 2019, Bere received the Presidential Precinct’s Young Leader of the Year Award in recognition of his contribution to the advancement of human rights and transitional justice in Zimbabwe.
