Elizabeth Gwaunza was born on June 15, 1953, in Zimbabwe. She holds a Diploma in Women’s Law from the Women’s Law Centre in Zimbabwe, a Diploma in Legislative Drafting, and another Diploma in Adult Education. Elizabeth has a Certificate in Gender Studies and Development and an honorary Master’s degree in Women and Gender Development from the Women’s University in Africa.

Elizabeth was admitted as a legal practitioner of the High Court of Zimbabwe in 1987. She became the first director of Legal Affairs in the Ministry of Community Development and Women’s Affairs and also worked as a director of Legal Aid in the Ministry of Justice. She was appointed as a Judge of the High Court in August 1998 and was eventually promoted to the Supreme Court in 2002. History was made when she became the second woman to sit on the Supreme Court after Justice Vernanda Ziyambi. Her hard work and integrity culminated in her appointment as the Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional and Supreme Court of Zimbabwe.

Judge Gwaunza’s international career started with her appointment to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), where she worked from 2008 to 2013. Her profound experience with both governmental and non-governmental organizations is noteworthy. She was founding member and past president of the Zimbabwe Association of Women Judges and member of the International Association of Women Judges.

Judge Gwaunza co-founded and was the national coordinator of the Women and Law in Southern Africa Research Project from 1989 to 1995. She further served on the boards of the Musasa Project and the Women’s Leadership and Governance Institute. In addition to the above-mentioned achievements, she chaired the Wills and Inheritance Project — a joint venture of DFID and the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. One of her notable firsts is being one of two black female law students who were the first to graduate in Zimbabwe.