(1) No person shall at any time publish any information likely to reveal the identity of the parent or adopter of any adopted child normally resident in Zimbabwe or, except with the consent in writing of the adopter or of the adopted child if such child is over the age of eighteen years, the fact that such adopted child has been adopted.

Provided that if the Minister is of the opinion that such publication would be just and equitable and in the interests of any particular person he may by written order dispense with the prohibition of this subsection to such an extent as may be specified in the order.

70 Adopted Children Register

(1) The Registrar-General shall keep and maintain a register to be called the "Adopted Children Register" in which entries shall be made in accordance with this Act.

(2) Every adoption order shall contain a direction to the Registrar-General to make in the Adopted Children Register an entry regarding the adoption in the form prescribed.

(3) Whereupon any application for an adoption order there is proved to the satisfaction of the court -
(a) The date of the birth of the minor; and
(b) the fact that the minor is the same person in respect of whom an entry or entries have been made in a register of births kept by the Registrar-General;
the adoption order shall contain a further direction to the Registrar-General to cause the entries in the register of births kept by him relating to such minor to be marked with the word "Adopted", and to include in the entry in the Adopted Children Register in the manner prescribed the date of the child's birth stated in the adoption order.

(7) The Registrar-General shall cause an index of the Adopted Children Register to be made and any person authorised by the Minister may search such index and have a certified copy of any entry in the Adopted Children Register on payment of the prescribed fee.

(8) The Registrar-General shall, in addition to the Adopted Children Register and the index thereof, keep such other registers and make such entries therein as may be necessary to record and make traceable the connection between any entry in a register of births kept by him that has been marked "Adopted", in terms of this section, and any corresponding entry in the Adopted Children Register, but such last-mentioned registers shall not be, nor shall any index thereof be, open to public inspection or search, nor, except under an order of the Minister, shall the Registrar-General furnish any person with any information contained in, or with any copy or extract from, any such registers.

74 Accessibility of records relating to adoption

Notwithstanding anything in any other law contained, the records of proceedings of a court in terms of this Part shall not be open to inspection or be accessible to the public except with the permission of that court.

75 Appeals

(1) Any person who is aggrieved by any order or decision made by a juvenile court in terms of this Part may appeal against that order or decision to a judge of the High Court who may refer the matter to the court of argument.
(2) An appeal in terms of subsection 91) shall be heard inprivate and no person other than those permitted by the judge or the court, as the case may be, shall be present at the hearing thereof.
(3) The judge of the High Court or the court, as the case may be, may, in any appeal in terms of subsection (1), confirm, vary or set aside the order or decision appealed against or give such judgement or make any determination or order as the circumstances may require.

Home Page / Why? / Search Tips
Search Experiences / The Law and You / Route Maps and Detours