The afternoon heat hung heavy over Masvingo as tension reached a breaking point outside the offices of Women Empowering Sustainable Environments (WESE). Just weeks after the advocacy group made headlines by confronting state authorities and local politicians over environmental pollution and land rights, the organization found itself targeted in a direct, heavy-handed crackdown by suspected state security agents.

The sequence of events began on September 8, when six WESE Women Environmental Defenders boldy submitted a formal petition to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA), the Masvingo City Council, and the Environmental Management Agency (EMA). The petition laid out a strict 14-day deadline demanding an urgent cleanup and sanitation overhaul of the heavily polluted Raylton Club Bus Depot and surrounding railway areas.

Before the fortnight deadline could even expire, WESE was forced to respond to another crisis unfolding nearby in Clipsham. Families who had lived on their land for nearly a quarter-century were suddenly facing forced evictions. Reports surfaced that 42-year-old Nancy Rikitai Gwaendepi had been arrested and detained alongside her two-year-old toddler and a neighbor after resisting the occupation of her plot. While residents insisted Nancy was being held at Masvingo Police Station, police spokesperson Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa publicly denied any record of her arrest. Meanwhile, political figures like Chivi North MP Godfrey Mukungunugwa dismissed claims of a land grab, maintaining the plot belonged to his brother, Day Mukungunugwa.

Refusing to stay silent, WESE issued a scathing statement on September 23, condemning the harassment, trauma, and illegal displacement of women and children in Clipsham, while calling for immediate protection and an end to state-sponsored intimidation.

The retaliation was swift. Late that evening, unmarked vehicles pulled up outside WESE’s headquarters. Unidentified security operatives forced their way into the building, turning over files and seizing vital equipment, including office laptops, hard drives, and desktop computers holding sensitive field research and resident testimonies. During the raid, several WESE staff members and environmental defenders present at the facility were detained and taken away for questioning.

Despite the raid, the confiscation of their digital tools, and the arrest of their members, WESE’s message remains unshaken: no amount of intimidation can erase the fundamental rights of communities fighting for their land, dignity, and environment…WESE