City of Gweru Urges Vendors to Expose Municipal Sex Predators

Gweru — Gweru City Council (GCC) has declared a zero-tolerance policy against the sexual harassment and exploitation of female informal traders, urging victims to report rogue Municipal police officers using the civic authority’s administrative structures.

This comes against the backdrop of recent media reports and research compiled by Gender and Inclusion specialist, Thando Gwinji, in partnership with the Vendors Initiative for Social Economic Transformation (VISET), alleging that some Municipal police officers are demanding sexual favours from female vendors in exchange for protection.

Thando Gwinji presenting her findings on women in the informal sector in Gweru.

Speaking during an online stakeholders' engagement meeting organised by the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) Gweru Chapter, the local authority's Public Relations Officer, Vimbai Chingwaramusee, challenged victims of abuse to break the silence and utilise the council's reporting systems to weed out corrupt elements.

"There is no council policy that allows anyone to use their body as a form of payment," Chingwaramusee said.

"As women, we need to value ourselves. If you are told to pay with your body, why do you keep quiet? Why allow yourself to be exploited and remain silent?

"Do you actually condone what is being done to you? If it is painful and abusive, come forward and report it, and gather evidence, especially now that our mobile phones have recording capabilities," she said.

She noted that the council's Public Relations Office, the Gender Desk, and the Office of the Town Clerk remained accessible to handle confidential reports, ensuring that aggrieved informal traders received administrative recourse without fear of victimisation.

Contributing to the discussion, Gweru City Council Public Relations and Gender Desk representative, Charity Ndawana, clarified that the Municipality's regulatory framework explicitly protects members of the public, debunking assertions that the local authority's code of conduct only covers internal employees.

"As the Gweru City Council, we have a comprehensive sexual harassment policy that clearly defines the various forms of sexual harassment.

"This policy covers both our employees and members of the public. As residents, you are entirely free to come and inspect or review these policy documents," Ndawana stated.

She cited specific regulatory protocols within the Municipality's governing instruments that provide a transparent channel for external stakeholders to file formal complaints against abusive staff members.

"According to Section 9.0 of our procedure for laying sexual harassment grievances, any employee, client, stakeholder or business partner dealing with the City of Gweru who believes they have been subjected to sexual harassment must report such allegations immediately," Ndawana said.

"Reports can be made to an immediate supervisor, a departmental gender focal person, a Head of Department or directly to the Town Clerk.

"The aggrieved client, stakeholder or business partner is required to submit their complaint in writing," she explained.

Ndawana added that under section 25.4.12 of the council’s Code of Conduct, sexual harassment is categorised as a major offense attracting dismissal.

"To demonstrate how seriously the Gweru City Council takes sexual harassment, if you look at section 25.4 of our Code of Conduct regarding offences, sexual harassment is specifically listed under subsection twelve as a dismissible offence.

"This means we do not take these matters lightly. Once a report of abuse is made, we sit down to investigate the issue and the offending employee could face dismissal," Ndawana said.

WCoZ Gweru Chapter Chairperson, Merjury Makunere, commended the local authority for clarifying its protective policies, urging informal traders to regularise their operations to minimise exposure to predatory law enforcement officers.

"Thank you for shedding light on these issues that directly affect us as women trading on the streets.

"I hope everyone present has taken note. For anyone who has faced these challenges or suffered abuse, you now know that you can directly contact the council or file a formal report," she said.

"For those who need vending spaces, let us approach the council and be allocated legal spaces instead of choosing to be chased through the streets daily. Let us maintain our dignity as women," Makunere said.