After the establishment of diplomatic relations immediately after Zimbabwe’s independence, relations developed positively for a long time. Relations were strained following the state-decreed expropriation of farms from 2000 onwards, which also affected German landowners, and the politically motivated violence during the 2002 and 2008 elections. In early 2025, the Zimbabwean Government began paying compensation to investors.

Owing to political developments in Zimbabwe, development cooperation with the country was suspended in 2002. Germany, along with the EU, UNICEF and the World Bank, is currently supporting selected measures that contribute to the immediate improvement of people’s livelihoods and to the promotion of democracy and the rule of law at local level. Moreover, Germany supports projects run by non-governmental organisations, including in the areas of food security, drought protection and water supply.

At the regional level, support is being provided to projects of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), in particular in the field of regional economic integration and to strengthen cross-border protected areas, nature conservation and sustainable development, from which Zimbabwe, too, stands to benefit.

A cultural agreement has been in place since 1998. German cultural activities centre on the education sector and cultural exchange. The Faculty of Linguistics at the University of Zimbabwe teaches German as a subsidiary subject, supported by a seconded lector. The Goethe-Zentrum in Harare offers language courses and cultural events.

Twinning arrangements are in place between Harare and Munich and also between the municipalities of Kernen and Masvingo.

Namatai Kwekweza, a Zimbabwean human rights and democracy defender, received the German Africa Award in 2025.