By A Correspondent – The Masvingo Women Rights Advocacy Group (MWRAG) has stepped up its campaign by formally engaging the Masvingo City Council after repeated incidents of abuse against women vendors in the city’s Central Business District. On 27 May 2026, MWRAG’s Community Human Rights Monitors recorded footage of municipal officers harassing female vendors and confiscating their goods at undesignated trading spots opposite the Post Office along Hughes Street. The footage, now widely circulated, has sparked public outrage and intensified calls for accountability, as women vendors continue to face disproportionate harassment under the pretext of law enforcement.

MWRAG argues that these crackdowns not only deprive women of their livelihoods but also violate their dignity and fundamental rights. The organisation has consistently documented such abuses, including the brutal arrest of widow Gladies Madhlame earlier this year, who was charged under Section 77 (1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23] after police officers allegedly roughed her up in public, leaving her humiliated. Similar violations were reported in November 2025, when women vendors were violently displaced outside Trinity Pharmacy, opposite Pick and Pay, resulting in devastating losses of goods and income. These repeated incidents highlight systemic discrimination against women vendors, who remain more vulnerable to violence and harassment compared to their male counterparts.

In its latest engagement with municipal authorities, MWRAG has gone beyond condemnation to push for structural reforms. Central to its advocacy is the adoption of a women’s quota policy in council market allocations. The proposed quota system would guarantee women access to market spaces at affordable rates, addressing long-standing concerns over unequal access and reducing their vulnerability to harassment in undesignated trading areas. The intervention marked a critical step toward institutional recognition of women’s rights in the marketplace.

MWRAG is now urging civil society organisations, women’s groups, and human rights defenders to amplify its advocacy efforts against the abuse of female vendors by municipal police. The organisation stresses that enforcing the law must never be used as a pretext for violating women’s rights. Instead, authorities are called upon to uphold constitutional protections and ensure that women vendors are provided with safe, designated trading spaces. By advancing systemic reforms such as the quota policy, MWRAG seeks to secure women’s economic contributions, safeguard their dignity, and build a more equitable marketplace in Masvingo.

This latest engagement builds on MWRAG’s ongoing campaigns, which have consistently highlighted the urgent need for accountability and reform. The organisation insists that the struggle for women’s rights in Zimbabwe’s marketplaces is far from over, and collective action remains essential to end the cycle of abuse and intimidation.