Abstract: Zimbabwe over the last decade has received widespread condemnation on human rights abuses, particularly by the West. As a member of the international community of states, Zimbabwe has a duty to meet obligations erga omnes (rules of state responsibility) to protect and promote human rights. Zimbabwe has seemingly failed to adhere to this international rule umpteen times as indicated by systematic political violence and impunity, intimidation, torture, selective application of the law and destruction of property which characterized Zimbabwe’s politics in the 21st century. The law that governs the protection and promotion of human rights, international human rights law has therefore been violated in Zimbabwe. Data for this research paper was gathered through the use of interviews, direct observation, document analysis and desktop research. The essence of this study is to assess the extent to which Zimbabwe has upheld international human rights law in the 21st century. More importantly, the assessment is informed by the centrality of politics in relation to state practice. In other words, the extent to which Zimbabwe has upheld international human rights law is approached from the viewpoint of a politician rather than that of a lawyer. Those instances when Zimbabwe has been seen acting in compliance or non-compliance with rules of international human rights law can therefore be best explained in political rather than legal terms.