Zimbabwe's cabinet has supported proposed legislation to end the death penalty, marking a pivotal point in abolishing capital punishment in the southern African country.

Information Minister Jenfan Muswere on Tuesday said that the cabinet's decision was made following countrywide consultations.

Should parliament approve the bill, life imprisonment will serve as the maximum sentence.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has previously criticised capital punishment.

He was sentenced to death in 1965 following accusations that he bombed a train while fighting against white minority rule.

Mr Mnangagwa's death sentence was, however, commuted after his lawyers argued that he was underage.

Zimbabwe's death penalty is a remnant of a colonial-era law. The country has not carried out an execution since 2005.