The Indigenous World 2025: Zimbabwe

Written on 25 April 2025. Posted in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe celebrated its 44^th year of independence on 18 April 2024. While the Government of Zimbabwe does not recognise any specific groups as Indigenous to the country, two peoples self-identify as such: the Tshwa (Tjwa, Cua) San found in western Zimbabwe, and the Doma (Vadema, Tembomvura) of Mbire District in north-central Zimbabwe. Population estimates indicate that there are 3,305 Tshwa and 1,626 Doma in Zimbabwe, representing approximately 0.031% of the country’s population of 17,150,352 in July 2024. The government uses the term “marginalised communities” when referring to such groups.

Many of the Tshwa and Doma live below the poverty line in Zimbabwe and, together, they comprise some of the poorest people in the country. Socio-economic data is limited for both groups. Both the Tshwa and Doma have histories of hunting and gathering, and their households now have diversified economies, including local-level agriculture, informal agricultural work for other groups, pastoralism, mining, small-scale business enterprises, and working in the tourism industry. Remittances from relatives and friends both inside and outside the country make up a small proportion of the total incomes of Tshwa and Doma. As is the case with other Zimbabweans, some Tshwa and Doma have emigrated to other countries in search of income-generating opportunities, employment, and greater social security.

The realisation of core human rights in Zimbabwe continues to be challenging. Zimbabwe is party to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Reporting on these conventions is largely overdue but there were efforts in 2024 to meet some of the conventions’ requirements. Zimbabwe voted for the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in 2007. Zimbabwe has not signed the only international human rights convention addressing Indigenous Peoples: ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of 1989. The government has indicated its wish to expand its programmes and service delivery to marginalised communities. There are no specific laws on Indigenous Peoples’ rights in Zimbabwe. However, the “Koisan” language is included in Zimbabwe’s 2013 revised Constitution as one of the 16 languages recognised in the country, and there is some awareness within government of the need for more information and improved approaches to poverty alleviation and improvement of well-being among minorities and marginalised communities. A delegation from Zimbabwe attended the 23^rd annual meetings of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) from 15-26 April 2024.

This article is part of the 39^th edition of The Indigenous World, a yearly overview produced by IWGIA that serves to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have experienced. The photo above is of an Indigenous activist Funa-ay Claver, a Bontok Igorot, standing alongside Indigenous youth activists and others. They are protesting against the repressive laws and human rights violations suffered through the actions and projects of the Government of the Philippines and other actors against Indigenous Peoples at President Marcos Jr’s national address on 22 July 2024 in Quezon City, Philippines. The photo was taken by Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas and is the cover of The Indigenous World 2025 where this article is featured. Find The Indigenous World 2025 in full here

Introduction

The economic situation in Zimbabwe continued to deteriorate in 2024 with high inflation, rapidly rising prices, mounting unemployment, and lowered access to basic commodities for the poor.

The security situation in the country was also problematic throughout the year as state-sponsored security forces dealt harshly with demonstrators, sizeable numbers of whom were beaten, arrested, and jailed, sometimes for extensive periods of time. At least 140 anti-government demonstrators and journalists were arrested in 2024.^[1]

Zimbabwe, like other countries in southern Africa, had to cope with the impacts of drought and climate-induced change in 2024. Drought was declared in Zimbabwe by President Emmerson Mnangagwa on 3 April 2024 when he noted that some 6,000,000 Zimbabweans were suffering from insufficient food. In his 2024 State of the Nation Address delivered on 2 October 2024, President Mnangagwa presented an optimistic picture of the status and future of Zimbabwe.^[2] However, some marginalised communities in Zimbabwe, including the Tshwa San and Doma, were dealing with severe problems of poverty, unemployment, and limitations in their access to land and resources.

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) continued to provide human rights awareness seminars in the country, including ones where Tshwa San and Doma (VaDema) were located. The ZHRC placed emphasis on issues facing marginalised communities, including voting rights and rights to participate in public institutions and organisations.^[3]

The issue of leadership of the Tshwa community arose during the year when efforts to appoint a headman to assist Tshwa chief Christopher Dube were unsuccessful due to the death of the individual who had been designated to become the local Tshwa headman.

Issues involving youth and children in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean youth and children were covered by programmes in a number of different government ministries, including Health and Childcare, Primary and Secondary Education, Youth Empowerment and Development and Vocational Training. Some of the programmes in Women’s Affairs, and Community and Medium Enterprise Development, also catered for children and youth. In Zimbabwe, children are defined as anyone under 18 years of age, in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The Tsoro-o-tso San Development Trust (TSDT) met with Tshwa community members in Tsholotsho District in 2024 regarding issues involving education, mother-tongue language documentation, health, and community needs.^[4] Government and NGOs placed particular emphasis on addressing the education and health needs of San and Doma children in Zimbabwe over the year.^[5]

Indigenous children were facing challenges in Zimbabwe in 2024, including child labour exploitation, hunger, and limited access to educational opportunities. Some Tshwa children reported that they were bullied and mistreated in primary schools, although reports of corporal punishment by teachers declined.

Zimbabwean women’s organisations, the Zimbabwean Red Cross, and TSDT noted that gender-based violence (GBV) and child abuse decreased in 2024. The numbers of Indigenous girls going to school increased, although some of them dropped out in order to care for younger siblings and to get jobs. Tshwa and Doma children saw greater dependence on food handouts from the Zimbabwe government and NGOs due to the drought. TSDT worked at the community level on craft programmes for women, children and men throughout the year.

There were indications that Indigenous children in Zimbabwe faced malnutrition and health challenges in 2024. The numbers of Tshwa and Doma children who were suffering from communicable diseases increased over the year, although vaccination programmes addressed some of the problems, such as measles and whooping cough.^[6] The vaccination programmes learned valuable lessons from Zimbabwe’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, there were particular problems for Tshwa and Doma children relating to eye health and dental well-being, which NGOs and government were assisting with in 2024.

Other issues

The Director of TSDT helped develop modules relating to Tshwa language and culture at Midlands State University in 2024. A TSDT stakeholder meeting was held in Tsholotsho in June that was aimed at identifying areas where linkages needed to be made with other organisations and government ministries to address needs in Tsholotsho and Bulalimanangwe districts, where the Tshwa reside. The Doma in the Zambezi Valley held discussions about setting up a Doma non-government organisation and seeking the right to appoint a Doma chief in 2024.

The Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) continued to be implemented in 2024.^[7] Rural communities sought to pressure the Government of Zimbabwe and the CAMPFIRE programme to provide community-level economic benefits instead of allowing Rural Development Councils (RDCs) to make decisions about what was to be done with the funds generated by CAMPFIRE.

Tshwa continued to seek the right to return to areas from which they had been dispossessed by government decisions. In some cases, land had been granted to other groups, usurping the rights of the Tshwa. They felt that they were being treated differently, and that the government was favouring other people in northern Tsholotsho. They queried their social position vis-à-vis other groups in western Zimbabwe, where they felt they were at the bottom of the sociopolitical pyramid.^[8]

The number of tourist visits to Zimbabwe increased in 2024, thanks in part to the end of the COVID-19 restrictions. There were several new tourist-oriented enterprises initiated by the Tshwa and the Doma. The Tshwa and Doma sought to obtain additional training on tourist enterprises and climate change adaptations from the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife and the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development over the year.

Calls were heard from Indigenous people in Zimbabwe for more emphasis to be placed on their health and well-being. Fortunately, because of Indigenous activism, greater attention was being paid to the serious complex social, economic, and health problems faced by Indigenous, minority, and vulnerable members of Zimbabwe’s population.

Davy Ndlovu is the Director of the Tsoro-o-tso San Development Trust in Bulawayo. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ben Begbie-Clench is a consultant based in Namibia who is working on San and Doma issues in Zimbabwe. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Robert Hitchcock is a member of the Board of the Kalahari Peoples Fund (KPF), a non-profit organisation devoted to assisting the peoples of southern Africa. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Melinda Kelly is a member of the Kalahari Peoples Fund (KPF). This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This article is part of the 39^th edition of The Indigenous World, a yearly overview produced by IWGIA that serves to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have experienced. The photo above is of an Indigenous activist Funa-ay Claver, a Bontok Igorot, standing alongside Indigenous youth activists and others. They are protesting against the repressive laws and human rights violations suffered through the actions and projects of the Government of the Philippines and other actors against Indigenous Peoples at President Marcos Jr’s national address on 22 July 2024 in Quezon City, Philippines. The photo was taken by Katribu Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas and is the cover of The Indigenous World 2025 where this article is featured. Find The Indigenous World 2025 in full here

Notes and references

^[1] Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International annual reports on Zimbabwe, 2024.

^[2] H.E. President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe State of the Nation address, 2 October 2024.

^[3] Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) Annual Report 2024

^[4] Tsoro-o-tso San Development Trust (TSDT) Annual Report 2024.

^[5] This was noted by President Mnangagwa in his State of the Nation address.

^[6] UNICEF Zimbabwe Annual Report 2024.

^[7] CAMPFIRE Association Zimbabwe Annual Report 2024.

^[8] Chirambwi, Kudakwashe. “Return us where we can hunt and gather”: hierarchies and social structures that sustain exclusion of San minority in Zimbabwe. Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion 43(6):895-909, 2024.

Tags: Youth, Human rights, Conservation