ZAPU has expressed deep sorrow over the death of veteran liberation struggle supporter and prominent legal scholar, Professor Arthur Reginald Fulbrook Austin in the United Kingdom, saying he deserved to be recognised as a national hero.
Prof Austin, widely known as Reg Austin, played a pivotal role in Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle and later distinguished himself as an international human rights expert and constitutional law specialist.
ZAPU President, Sibangilizwe Nkomo, described his passing as a significant loss not only to the party but to the nation at large, highlighting his long-standing commitment to the liberation cause.
“It is with profound sorrow that we have received the sad news of the passing on of our dear comrade, Professor Arthur Reginald Fulbrook Austin. He was a veteran of the liberation struggle which he joined in the early 1960s in support of ZAPU and ZPRA,” Nkomo said.
Prof Austin served as a military legal adviser to ZAPU’s armed wing, the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZPRA) and was part of the Patriotic Front’s legal team during the historic Lancaster House talks in 1979, which paved the way for Zimbabwe’s independence from British colonial rule.
According to Nkomo, Prof Austin’s contribution did not end with independence. During the Gukurahundi, he represented many ZAPU members who were arrested and prosecuted by the State.
“He stood firm in defence of our innocent patriots and carried the ZAPU flag when it was heaviest,” Nkomo said.
Nkomo described Prof Austin as an accomplished academic and principled human rights defender who embodied ZAPU’s founding values of nationalism and non-racialism.
“Cde Austin championed the ethos of ZAPU, representing our party’s national and non-racial quest for a genuinely free Zimbabwe,” Nkomo added.
Prof Austin also played a role in the revival of ZAPU after the party withdrew from the Unity Accord in 2008, offering strategic guidance and supporting efforts to rebuild party structures.
“He supported many efforts to rebuild ZAPU structures and provided valuable advice to our cadres across the board,” said Nkomo.
The ZAPU leader further noted Prof Austin’s close relationship with the late former ZPRA commander Dumiso Dabengwa, describing them as “brothers-in-arms.”
Prof Austin was also a founding board member of the Dumiso Dabengwa Foundation.
Nkomo said Prof Austin deserved to be recognised as a national hero, criticising the State’s partisan approach to the awarding of national honours.
“For his patriotic contributions during and after the liberation struggle, Prof Austin deserves to be declared a national hero. It is tragic that such national honours are decided on a partisan basis,” he said.
Nkomo added that Prof Austin’s legacy would continue to inspire ongoing political struggles, including opposition to Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3.
“As we lead the nation to resist Constitutional Amendment Bill 3, we draw inspiration from Prof Austin and his generation of nationalists,” he said.
Bulawayo Mayor, David Coltart, also paid tribute, describing Prof Austin as a patriot, mentor and lifelong friend.
“I am deeply saddened to hear that Professor Reg Austin, a fine Zimbabwean patriot, lawyer and good friend, has died in the United Kingdom,” Coltart said.
“Reg was very kind to me after I returned to Zimbabwe in 1983 when I first met him. He remained a steadfast friend and colleague ever since and will be sorely missed.”
Coltart extended condolences to Austin’s family and colleagues, adding: “If ever there was a Zimbabwean hero, it was Reg.”
Beyond his role in Zimbabwe’s liberation and political history, Austin built an extensive international career in law, governance and electoral systems.
A former Dean of Law at the University of Zimbabwe, he specialised in constitutional law, international human rights and the law of armed conflict, helping shape legal thought and training generations of lawyers.
His expertise took him across the globe, where he played leading roles in overseeing democratic transitions and electoral processes.
He served as Director and Chief Electoral Officer of the United Nations Observer Mission to South Africa during the country’s landmark 1994 elections, and as UN Director of Elections in Cambodia in 1993.
Prof Austin also led electoral processes in Afghanistan in 2003 and the Solomon Islands in 2006, and was appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General as one of three high-level experts to oversee electoral processes in East Timor in 2007.
His contributions extended to regional democratic development, including work with the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC), where he supported election observation and democratic reforms in countries such as Zambia, Angola, Namibia and Mozambique.
In Zimbabwe, Prof Austin served as the first chairperson of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, reinforcing his lifelong commitment to justice, accountability and democratic governance