A recent report by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZIMRIGHTS) underscores the urgent need for reforms to ensure personal security and foster sustainable peace in Zimbabwe.
The report, titled “Broken Calabash: State of Peace Report Zimbabwe 2023-2024,” outlines citizens’ demands for a safer and more secure future.
According to the report, Zimbabweans seek stronger law enforcement and justice systems to guarantee personal security. “Citizens emphasized the need for effective, accountable, and transparent institutions, as envisioned under UN SDG 16.6, to foster sustainable peace in Zimbabwe,” the report stated. Reforming critical state institutions, such as the police and judiciary, was deemed essential to ensuring personal security for all citizens.
The report highlights citizens’ calls for the government to: Implement concrete measures to alleviate poverty, promote inclusive and sustainable development, and guarantee property rights and the right to dignified work for all.
The report also highlights citizens’ call for government to reform political institutions and processes, including electoral laws and key institutions like the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), to ensure a level political playing field.
The government is also called to end divisive politics driven by hate and violence, ensuring that elections are not a source of conflict but an opportunity for citizens to freely exercise their political rights.
The report also indicates that citizens called for public officials to act professionally and impartially, urging local authorities to improve service delivery and the government to ensure access to basic amenities for all.
The report further emphasized the importance of traditional leaders remaining apolitical as part of the broader effort to ensure all Zimbabweans enjoy an adequate standard of living.
The report’s findings paint a troubling picture, with over 80% of surveyed citizens feeling “Unsafe and insecure” or “Very unsafe and unsettled,” while only 17% feel “Safe and at peace” or “Very safe.”
The report is part of ZIMRIGHTS’ Shifting Power to the People Strategy (SP2P), which prioritizes citizen-led solutions to Zimbabwe’s challenges.
