Zimbabwe in Lockdown:
COVID-19 & Human Rights
from a community perspective
While it was within their mandate, and a necessary move to have state security agents lead the
enforcement of the lockdown to help contain the spread of the virus, it turned out, as ZPP had feared,
to be the major source of human rights violations during the month of April.
Despite being deployed without proper protective clothing, the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the
Municipal Police, and the army, unfortunately, proved once again, the need for security sector
reforms, as they contributed to a combined 96,64 percent of all perpetrators during the month of April.
Of the total number of violations recorded, harassment and intimidation topped the list with 130
incidents while 86 cases of assault were recorded.
One of the cases is a very unfortunate incident where an eight year boy panicked
and collapsed after he and his friends were reportedly intimidated by some army
officers who were providing security during the First Lady’s visit in Mudzi North in
Mashonaland East. The boy died on admission to Kotwa hospital.
Harare recorded the highest number of violations at 104, followed by Midlands, which had 52 cases.
Worryingly, when the lockdown began, and people were supposed to adhere
to strict social distancing, the situation was not made possible due to the
unavailability of safe, potable, running water in several urban areas.
Therefore, images of mostly women queuing for water at public water points
dominated both the first and the second phases of the lockdown.
104
During the second phase of the lockdown, after the president announced two
Cases in Harare
more weeks of restricted movement, local authorities, acting on a directive
from government, began a process of demolishing informal sector
workspaces, without adequate warning to those who operate in those spaces.
The move further added misery to the already struggling informal sector
operators, who had endured a good three weeks without operating, despite the nature of their work
offering them hand to mouth income.
During this month, government also announced it would give out assistance to vulnerable
households, and those in the informal sector whose businesses had been affected by the lockdown
and this triggered a fresh wave of discrimination along partisan lines.
Manicaland, Mashonaland East and Masvingo provinces each recorded 25 percent of food and other
aid violations. Harare, Matabeleland North and Midlands all share 8.33 percent of the violations
CHILDREN AND WOMEN
QUEUEING FOR WATER
IN HARARE
IMAGE BY DW.COM
REPORT
HUMAN RIGHTS
VIOLATIONS TO
+263 77 488 3406
+263 77 488 3417