EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In September 2025, the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) documented a total of 115
human rights violations across the country, affecting 4,190 victims. Of these, 2,173 were
women and 2,017 were men, of which 19 were persons with disabilities.
The documented violations encompassed a range of rights abuses, including harassment
and intimidation, assault, discrimination and unfair practices in the distribution of
government aid, as well as restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly, and
association. Additional violations included denial of access to social services, forced
displacements, unjustified arrests, restrictions on movement, and inhuman or degrading
treatment.
A variety of actors were implicated as perpetrators. ZANU PF leaders at various levels of
authority accounted for 21.3%, while ZANU PF supporters were responsible for 17.9%.
Other perpetrators included traditional leaders (10.3%), school authorities (9.9%), local
authorities (8.0%), and members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (7.6%). Additional
actors comprised state security agents (4.6%), government officials (4.2%), artisanal
miners (2.7%), members of the Zimbabwe National Army (3.8%), and CCC leaders
(0.8%). Notably, 9.1% of the perpetrators were not affiliated with any identifiable group
or institution.
At the provincial level, Manicaland recorded the highest number of violations (20).
Masvingo documented 19 violations, a decrease from 26 in the previous month. Harare
recorded 18 violations, followed by Midlands (15), Mashonaland East (12), Mashonaland
West (11), and Mashonaland Central (10). Bulawayo recorded 5 violations, while
Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South registered 3 and 2 violations respectively.
In the section “Towards Sustainable Peace in Zimbabwe,” the report highlights the work
of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission in investigating service delivery–related and
human rights violations committed by local authorities. ZPP recommends stronger
accountability measures to ensure that citizens’ rights and freedoms are upheld.
However, as outlined in the section “Ten
Females
Steps Backwards,” while the number of
violations
2162
in
September
decreased
slightly from 121 in August to 115, this
11
VICTIMS
decline does not reflect a significant or
Females PWDs
2009
8
Male PWDs
Males
sustainable improvement in the human
rights situation. The persistence and
spread of violations underscore the need
for
sustained
oversight,
institutional
accountability, and systemic reforms.