Zimbabwe: Zanu-PF Tops Human Rights Violations in April – Report
The ruling Zanu PF party has been identified as the main perpetrator of violence across the country in April, followed by the military and the controversial Forever Associates of Zimbabwe (FAZ).
This was revealed by the Zimbabwe Peace Project’s (ZPP) April 2025 report.
The ZPP expressed grave concern over the ongoing politically motivated violence, coercion, and systemic abuses perpetrated by both state and non-state actors.
The human rights watchdog group added that the recorded violations serve as a stark reminder of the urgent need for institutional reform, enhanced accountability, and the implementation of protective mechanisms. These steps are paramount to safeguarding the fundamental rights of all Zimbabweans.
The ZPP warned that without deliberate action to reverse these disturbing trends, the pursuit of sustainable peace, democracy, and justice remains critically undermined.
The government, as well as local authorities, have also been implicated as perpetrators of human rights violations.
According to the report, Zanu PF committed over thirty-four percent of the total of all human rights violations recorded by the peace watchdog in April 2025.
“Analysis of the data indicates that individuals affiliated with the ruling party, ZANU PF, were responsible for 34.1% of the reported violations,” the report stated.
The ZPP also fingered the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) as one of the main perpetrators of human rights violation, alleging that about six percent of the total rights violations’ cases were committed by the military.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) accounted for 24.1% of the perpetrators, while local councils were responsible for 15.64%. The Zimbabwe National Army contributed 6.41%, and government officials 4.62%,” the report detailed, highlighting the wide net of responsibility for the abuses.
According to the report, Masvingo Province recorded the highest number of violations with 20 cases, followed by Harare Province with 14, mirroring the same patterns observed in March 2025.
Other provinces included Manicaland 12, Mashonaland Central 13, Mashonaland East 11, and Mashonaland West 12. The situation remains bleak across much of the country.
Midlands Province reportedly recorded a decrease in reported incidents, from 14 in March to five in April. Bulawayo 1 (one), Matabeleland North 2 (two), and Matabeleland South 3 (three) reported significantly fewer violations.
On a positive note, ZPP says apart from the worrying human rights violations trend in the country, the High Court ruling last month that justified the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) lecturers’ industrial strike offered a glimmer of hope.
“Despite the worrying trends, the month also brought a positive development in the form of a High Court ruling affirming the constitutional right to strike by the University of Zimbabwe’s Association of University Teachers (AUT),” the report noted, providing a chink of light in what is otherwise a very dark tunnel.
By New Zimbabwe.
