PROVINCIAL OUTLOOK
Mashonaland West
In Mashonaland West, 14 human rights violations were documented affecting 502 residents (270 women and 232
men, including 14 PWDs) including coercion tied to the presidential Pfumvudza inputs program. In Zvimba North,
Ward 31, agritex officers, councilors, chiefs, and village heads demanded 10 kg of maize per household,
threatening exclusion from future inputs for non-compliance. Similar forced contributions were reported across
Mashonaland West, including Magunje, Hurungwe, Chegutu East, and Makonde, despite poor harvests, drought,
and delayed government support. In some cases, villagers not benefiting from inputs were still compelled to
contribute. Additionally, schools in Zvimba North were instructed to pay US$0.25 per child for the First Lady’s Quiz
and Gastronomy Show, with principals pressured to borrow funds if school accounts were empty. These practices
reveal a disturbing pattern of systemic abuse, political coercion, and egregious violations of economic and social
rights. Citizens' fundamental rights to food, education, and protection from forced contributions are being
trampled, fostering a climate of fear, intimidation, and glaring governance failures in the province.
Conclusion
The documented violations in the month of August reveal that human rights violations in Zimbabwe are not
isolated events but are entrenched within systemic patterns of abuse that continue to weaken the social fabric
and undermine meaningful democratic participation and enjoyment of basic fundamental freedoms. These abuses
manifest in multiple ways, including widespread fear, the silencing of dissenting voices, and the deliberate
targeting of vulnerable groups such as women, children, and the rural poor, all of which exacerbate cycles of
marginalisation and insecurity. Addressing these deep-seated challenges requires more than rhetoric; it demands
urgent and decisive action to enforce fundamental freedoms and rights enshrined as Zimbabwe’s constitutional
obligations and its binding commitments under international human rights law. Central to this is the need to ensure
genuine accountability for perpetrators of violations, to guarantee stronger and enforceable protections for
fundamental freedoms such as expression, association, and assembly, and to make deliberate investments in
inclusive, community-driven healing and reconciliation processes that acknowledge past harms while building
pathways toward justice and repair. Only through such comprehensive and courageous measures, that all human
rights advocates must promote, can Zimbabwe begin to move toward a society in which the dignity, security, and
fundamental rights of all citizens are respected, protected, and upheld without discrimination or fear.