CIVICUS discusses the challenges for civil society in Zimbabwe with Tapiwanashe Chiriga, Advocacy and Communications Officer at Heal Zimbabwe Trust, a local human rights organisation.
The Zimbabwean government stepped up its repression in the run-up to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit, which it hosted in the capital, Harare, on 17 August. Over 160 people, including opposition leaders, have been arrested since June, with many facing torture and harassment. In early August, masked men tried to break into the offices of a leading civil rights group. The crackdown was aimed at quelling any protests ahead of the summit, where President Emmerson Mnangagwa took over the SADC chair. Despite the growing repression in Zimbabwe, visiting regional leaders remained largely silent.
What’s the state of civic space in Zimbabwe?
Civil society in Zimbabwe is operating under increasingly repressive conditions. Government officials often use intimidation, surveillance and defamation against civil society organisations (CSOs). Local government offices, particularly in rural areas, are being used to impose administrative and legal restrictions that target groups and people that criticise the ruling party or advocate for human rights.
This hostile environment poses significant challenges to our human rights work, particularly when trying to access some of the local communities we support. The ruling party often uses local traditional leaders to intimidate others who collaborate with us, and we have also faced harassment from people suspected of being state security agents. These tactics make it difficult for us to work freely and effectively.
Did restrictions increase in the run-up to the SADC summit?
Yes, they did. President Mnangagwa’s government deliberately stepped up its efforts to stifle any form of opposition or dissent as he prepared to take over the chair of the SADC bloc.
In a bid to prevent potential protests during the summit, the government arrested, abducted and detained civil society activists, particularly those campaigning for democratic reforms. This increased repression, intimidation and surveillance, and combined with the use of outright threats, created a climate of fear among activists, human rights defenders and citizens as a whole.
The government is using a strategy of widespread intimidation to silence pro-democracy voices and prevent them drawing regional and international attention to Zimbabwe’s human rights abuses.
Were you able to use the summit to raise your demands at the regional level?
Unfortunately, I was unable to engage with SADC leaders or other influential figures during the summit due to serious security threats. After receiving explicit threats from state security agents who made it clear they intended to arrest and possibly harm me, I was forced to go into hiding. This situation severely limited my ability to participate and raise the critical issues we had hoped to address.
As a result, many pressing concerns about the increasing restrictions on civil society in Zimbabwe were not raised at the regional forum. The response of regional leaders to the escalating repression of civil society in Zimbabwe has been markedly inadequate. Some SADC members have been very reluctant to confront the Zimbabwean government directly over its human rights abuses, undermining any regional efforts to support democracy and uphold civic freedoms. This weak regional response leaves many critical issues unaddressed and the struggles of those advocating for democratic reform remain largely ignored.
What should the international community do to promote democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe?
The international community needs to take a more proactive approach to addressing the deepening crisis in Zimbabwe and drawing attention to the systemic abuses taking place in the country. This requires moving beyond the occasional incidents that make international headlines and instead making a concerted effort to hold the Zimbabwean government to account. United Nations agencies, development partners and other global organisations should actively challenge the government and use diplomatic pressure to urge it to uphold human rights standards.
In addition to diplomatic efforts, it’s crucial to provide human rights defenders and organisations in Zimbabwe with the resources and training they need to strengthen their advocacy efforts and help them raise public awareness of citizens’ rights and constitutional protections.
Finally, the international community should push for independent investigations into human rights abuses and use diplomatic and economic pressure to ensure accountability. By adopting this comprehensive approach, the international community can more effectively address the crisis and support those working to uphold human rights in Zimbabwe.
Civic space in Zimbabwe is rated ‘repressed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor.
Get in touch with Heal Zimbabwe Trust through its website or Facebook page and follow @HealZim and @tapiwa_chiriga on Twitter.
