EIGHTEEN to 23 year old men in Zimbabwe’s southern districts are fleeing to South Africa after impregnating under-aged girls, a new report showed this week.
The National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) said in its 2023 annual report many relocated to Africa’s most industrialised economy to find jobs, while others were fleeing after impregnating more than one minor in districts areas like Beitbridge.
It is an offence to initiate or have any sexual or indecent relations with anyone under the age of 18 in Zimbabwe, as the new age of consent of 18 was brought into statute law in January. Offenders face a maximum of 10 years in jail.
Zimbabwe’s southern neighbour, South Africa, with an estimated US$400 billion gross domestic product in 2023, has wider opportunities for job seekers.
Over 270 000 Zimbabweans are officially documented as living in South Africa.
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However, the number is much higher, as most Zimbabweans living in South Africa are illegal immigrants.
The NPRC was concerned that some cases of child marriages were not being reported.
“There is an urgent need for inter-agency approach towards eliminating child marriages, including collaborations with State and non-state actors, as well as, sister commissions to conduct massive awareness campaigns in the grossly affected areas of Chasvingo, Number Two and Malungudzi Villages under chief Matibe in Beitbridge East,” the NPRC said.
“Parents do not report the cases to the traditional leadership or the police. The general trend is that every month averages of two minors per village are married off after having been impregnated by young men aged between 18 and 23 years.
“The parents accept lobola whilst the young men responsible for the pregnancies cross over to South Africa to look for greener pastures to fend for their new families or as a way of evading responsibility.”
The NPRC observed that a concerted effort was needed to stem the wave of child marriages.
“Traces of an uncoordinated approach and blame-game were noted as contributing to underreporting of child marriages or teen pregnancies whereby each stakeholder seems to be focusing on pursuing their own key result areas,” the report reads in part.
“The parents only report cases to the Zimbabwe Republic Police when there have been disagreements over unmet expectations or in rare cases where more than one minor would have been impregnated by the same man, resulting in conflicts amongst families involved as to whom the man chooses to marry.”
The significance of traditional leaders was recognised for their role in promoting peace and development within their communities.
However, they often face challenges due to limited capacity and resources, which hinder their ability to fulfil their responsibilities effectively.
These challenges include lack of transportation, inadequate knowledge of certain legal issues, limitation of powers, as well as, concerns regarding transparency and ethical practices.
The NPRC said it also handled several cases of political conflict during the period under review.
“The commission recorded 49 political conflicts, constituting 47% of cases received. Most of these cases were recorded in Masvingo, which had 23 (23%), followed by Mashonaland East, which had 17 (16%),” the report reveals.
“The second highest conflictual issue recorded is land disputes, which totalled 16 cases.
“Both gender-based violence and other miscellaneous categories recorded 11 cases,” the report states.
To combat the scourge of child marriages, the NPRC is rolling out various initiatives that include the use of dedicated cell phone numbers for receiving complaints from the public.
