State of Mind in the Zimbabwean Criminal Law

Abstract

One of the most fundamental principles of our common law in criminal matters is that a person can only be found criminally liable if his conduct was accompanied by some blameworthy mental state. For a very long time in our law it has been recognized as being completely pointless and unjust to impose punishment tinder the criminal law if no moral blameworthiness^-^ attached to the conduct.of an accused because, not only is it taken that he lacks intention, but also that there is no negligence on his part. He describe a situation, therefore, which is devoid of any moral blameworthiness on the actor’s part as one of blameless inadvertence.