By Tadiwa Shunje
MASVINGO – Human rights violations linked to opposition against Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3) have pushed Masvingo to the top of Zimbabwe’s list of rights abuse hotspots, with the province recording the highest number of violations in June, according to the latest Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) monitoring report.
ZPP recorded 53 human rights violations in Masvingo during the month of June 2026, the highest among the country’s 10 provinces, saying many of the incidents stemmed from political intimidation, assaults and threats targeting individuals perceived to be opposing CAB3.
According to the report, three young men were allegedly assaulted by suspected ZANU PF supporters after being accused of opposing the constitutional amendment.
In another incident, a female activist from Zaka Central reportedly received anonymous death threats after publicly speaking against CAB3, forcing her to flee her home fearing for her safety.
“In Zaka Central Ward 15 a female activist became the target of sustained intimidation after publicly opposing CAB3. Living at a local school with her husband, a teacher, the victim began receiving repeated death threats from anonymous callers using private numbers before she switched off her mobile phone in fear of being tracked and fled the area for her own safety.
“The incidents demonstrate how threats, when left unchecked, can escalate into physical violence and forced displacement, undermining the rights to personal security, freedom of expression and political participation,” reads part of the report.
The organization also documented restrictions on civic space across the province.
In Gutu, human rights activists were reportedly prevented from meeting councilors by the District Administrator, while in Chiredzi a community activist was arrested and detained after criticizing the demolition of informal traders’ stalls.
ZPP further alleged that political coercion remained widespread, with villagers in several districts reportedly compelled to attend ruling party Cell Day meetings under threats of losing access to government-linked development programs, food aid and agricultural inputs.
Nationally, the organisation recorded 228 human rights violations affecting 5,996 victims during June.
Masvingo recorded the highest number of violations, followed by Manicaland with 41, Harare with 31 and Mashonaland Central with 30.
The June findings build on concerns raised in ZPP’s April 2026 monitoring report, which documented 145 human rights violations affecting 3,675 people across Zimbabwe.
The organisation said abductions and arbitrary arrests were among the leading violations during the month, alleging that several individuals suspected to have been abducted by state security agents later resurfaced in police custody.
The report also linked a number of arrests and intimidation cases to opposition against CAB3, including the arrest of a commuter omnibus operator after anti-CAB3 campaign material was allegedly found in his vehicle.In Masvingo, ZPP recorded 24 human rights violations in April, citing allegations that residents in Bikita South Ward 29 were pressured to sign pre-filled CAB3 forms without the option to refuse.
Other incidents included the alleged intimidation of an elderly man in Masvingo Central for wearing an opposition party T-shirt during Independence Day celebrations, discrimination in the distribution of agricultural assistance in Chiredzi East based on perceived political affiliation, and alleged illegal clinic charges imposed on patients seeking treatment at Zibwowa Rural Clinic in Zaka South.
ZPP reads that the April findings pointed to growing political coercion and shrinking civic space, trends it says intensified in June as Masvingo emerged as the province with the highest number of recorded human rights violations in the country.
