PROVINCIAL OUTLOOK
Midlands
In October, Midlands Province recorded eight human rights violations, with the most serious involving the denial of
the right to peaceful demonstration in Torwood, Redcliff. Parents seeking justice for a child sexually abused by a
male teacher at a local school were blocked from holding a lawful demonstration after police refused clearance,
citing “security concerns,” effectively preventing community advocacy in a case of serious child abuse. The security
concerns were linked to the politically planned demonstrations communicated via social media. Other violations
included the forced removal and arrest of vegetable vendors in Shurugwi, where enforcement selectively spared
those aligned with ruling party structures, reflecting discriminatory economic repression. In Kwekwe, students’ right
to education was undermined at Mbizo High School and Globe and Phoenix Primary School, where learners with
outstanding fees had school bags confiscated or were repeatedly sent home, disrupting instruction and
disadvantaged vulnerable households. These incidents collectively address the challenges of shrinking civic space,
discriminatory governance practices, and erosion of social rights across Midlands communities.
Mashonaland Central
In Mashonaland Central, eight human rights violations were
documented, with the most severe involving politically motivated
abduction and arson. In Mt Darwin South, a woman was forcibly
disappeared and later found dumped with signs of torture after
assailants searching for her politically active husband targeted her,
demonstrating the continued use of violence to intimidate perceived
opposition. In the same constituency, a lodge linked to a relative of a
former ZANU PF leader and 2023 Presidential aspirant Saviour
Kasukuwere was attacked by unidentified individuals in an unmarked
vehicle, with several rooms set on fire following allegations that a
political meeting had been held there. Beyond these grave abuses,
coercive community control was documented, including villagers in
Kazunga and Shamva North being threatened by Village heads of
ward 15 with loss of Pfumvudza inputs and forced to pay development
levies or provide labor. Additionally, a female hospital employee in Mvurwi faced politically influenced arrest and
detention being accused of undermining the authority of the President. The incident began as a dispute over
electricity payments with Derrick Shonhiwa, a ZANU-PF district member, and escalated to the victim’s detention at
Mvurwi Police Station. Authorities have framed the disagreement as a challenge to presidential authority, highlighting
the politicised nature of the accusations.
Mashonaland East
20 human rights violations were documented in Mashonaland East province. The violations ranged from politically
motivated intimidation, forced attendance at meetings, and discrimination in access to agricultural inputs, to forced
grain contributions and land dispossession targeting opposition supporters and vulnerable community members. One of
the most serious violation involved a senior government minister. In Murehwa East, at Zihute Hall, ZANU PF Provincial
Chairperson and Minister, Daniel Garwe openly incited discrimination, instructing village heads to compile lists of all
known opposition supporters so they could be chased from their communities, framing them as “house flies.” Such
statements fan hate-driven human rights breaches as well as political intolerance. Similar patterns of political
exclusion were noted in Mudzi West, where opposition supporters were singled out and denied access to presidential
agricultural inputs, while villagers were also coerced to contribute grain under threat of losing future assistance. In
Murewa district, over 100 people were forced to attend a meeting organised by the Anti-Corruption Commission.
People who were getting in the Centre for other businesses were instructed to attend the meeting first before going
about their business. Forced attendances further illustrated the shrinking civic space and the denial of the freedom of
assembly and association as enshrined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe Section 58. Such violations reflect growing
weaponization of aid, land access, and public gatherings to punish dissent.
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