Human rights defender, Mupambi conferred with Honorary Doctorate

The prominent and outspoken human rights defender and social justice activist Abigale Mupambi has been conferred the Honorary Doctorate in Advocacy and Development by the Addulam Bible Institute and University in recognition of her immense work in fighting for human rights and justice.

The awarding institutions indicated that the honour was due to her distinguished and significant contributions to civil society and her steadfast dedication to empowering marginalised communities in Zimbabwe.

Mupambi said it was really exciting that there are some people who recognised her hard work, adding that lives of everyone matter hence she gave herself to the service of the people in fighting for human rights and social justice to all.

"I am very happy and excited that at least there are some people who recognised what I do and had to go all this way to confer me with this doctorate. I will continue to work for the good of everyone, human rights are for everyone and development5 is the need for every citizen so we must always seek to foster these concepts to have a better Zimbabwe," she said.

Mupambi recently joined in the fight between Pan-Africanist Rutendo Matinyarare, and the Innscor Group which recently secured a legal victory against him.

Matinyarare had accused Innscor Africa of allegedly supplying genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in its food products without adequately informing consumers.

He raised concerns that these GMOs might contain carcinogens, potentially contributing to the rising cancer cases in Zimbabwe.

Mupambi criticized the legal outcome favouring Innscor, arguing that the court's decision is meaningless without addressing the core allegations.

"The Innscor win in the South African courts remains a myth as long as the courts ignore the core issue: Is Innscor supplying potentially cancerous products to the market, as alleged?" she said.

Mupambi said Innscor should have focused on disproving these allegations rather than silencing Matinyarare.

She urged Zimbabwean citizens to refrain from patronizing Innscor's fast-food outlets until the company addresses these serious health concerns.

Mupambi said Zimbabweans could be facing a health crisis, evidenced by long hospital queues mirroring those at fast-food restaurants.

She called for meaningful dialogue among all stakeholders, stressing that while investment is vital for Zimbabwe's development, it should not come at the expense of public health and safety.

Mupambi reiterated the importance of Innscor answering the critical question at the heart of this issue: Do their products contain GMOs that could be carcinogenic?

Her stance reflects a broader concern for consumer rights and public health in Zimbabwe, urging transparency and accountability from major corporations.