By A Correspondent| The recent demolition of market stalls in Chiredzi by the Town Council has left hundreds of vendors devastated, with women and youth constituting over 70% of those affected. Many are widows, single mothers, and young people who relied entirely on vending to support their families. Video footage of the demolitions shows women and youth in tears as bulldozers tore down their stalls, a stark reminder of the vulnerability of vendors in Zimbabwe’s informal economy.

For more than two decades, these traders operated from the demolished sites, building livelihoods and sustaining households despite persistent economic challenges. Speaking to the Masvingo Women Rights Advocacy Group (MWRAG) and the Youth Empowerment and Skills Development Association (YESDA), Chiredzi Central MP Mr. Ropafadzo Makumire noted that while the local authority claims it intends to provide proper market stalls, it has openly admitted to lacking the financial resources to do so. This raises a critical question shared by many: if there are no resources for alternatives, why demolish existing structures and evict vendors in the first place? Development should uplift communities, not dismantle their means of survival without a viable plan.

The Council has defended the demolitions as part of a Ministry of Local Government directive aimed at improving sanitation, public health, and orderly urban development. For women and youth vendors, however, the exercise has resulted in lost income, an inability to pay school fees, and mounting debts from loans taken to sustain their businesses. For widows, single mothers, and unemployed youth in particular, the demolitions have deepened vulnerability by stripping away their only economic safety net.

MWRAG and YESDA view the situation as a serious setback in efforts to improve the welfare of women and youth in both the formal and informal sectors. The organisations have initiated engagement with the Council to advocate for alternative solutions that protect livelihoods while addressing urban planning concerns. They maintain that consultation, lawful processes, and inclusive planning — not bulldozers — are essential for sustainable development.

Experience in Masvingo Province suggests that such demolitions form part of a broader pattern of municipal actions that disproportionately affect women and youth vendors. In May 2026, MWRAG and YESDA recorded incidents of municipal police brutality in Masvingo’s Central Business District, where female traders and young vendors faced harassment and confiscation of goods. The organisations continue to expose these abuses and advocate for reforms, including a quota system in market allocations to ensure fair access to trading spaces for women and youth.

MWRAG and YESDA’s sustained advocacy underscores a broader reality: the struggle for women’s and youth rights in Zimbabwe’s marketplaces is far from over. Collective action remains critical to ending the cycle of displacement, intimidation, and economic marginalisation faced by women and youth in the informal sector.