State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2015 - Zimbabwe

Following the 2013 amendment to the Zimbabwean Constitution, several minority languages are now officially recognized. However, there has been little progress on the promotion of minority languages since former Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart ended his term in office in August 2013. He claimed that any incoming minister would have to honour the language policies in place, but also stated that it was 'too early to say whether the new government will have the political will to promote minority languages'. In May 2014, former Matabeleland South governor Angeline Masuku called for greater promotion of traditional Zimbabwean languages over English, arguing that knowledge of other languages spoken in their regions could help reduce tribalism. Her concern was particularly with regard to the lack of knowledge among some Matabeleland residents of Ndebele.

The San community has also criticized the government for failing to understand their culture and traditions, as the Constitution refers to their language as Khoisan, whereas the correct name of the language is Tshwao. Tshwao is under particular risk of extinction, as some sources suggest that there are little more than a dozen people left who speak the language fluently, with the rest of the San community speaking a diluted version. One of the issues highlighted by San leaders is the fact that the few San children who are able to attend school are taught in Ndebele, and as a result many are increasingly separated from their own culture. Attempts to introduce a Tshwao curriculum are made more difficult by the lack of orthography and phonology for the language. Tshwao has no written records and is currently not systematically passed from one generation to the next. Additionally, the vocabulary reflects the San community's traditional way of life in the bush, and therefore lacks terminology for many aspects of contemporary living. Researchers working on preserving Tshwao and making it usable for younger generations of San have requested support from the Education Ministry to enable them to travel to Botswana and Namibia for learning visits to other San communities.

Other minorities are equally struggling for the promotion of their languages. Kalanga representatives have argued that SeTswana, the language they speak at home, should also be taught at their schools and be promoted in line with the new Constitution. Kalanga representative Pax Nkomo also questioned the imposition of Ndebele chiefs on Kalanga people in seven districts of Matabeleland South and called on the new Zimbabwean government to 'give Kalanga language affirmative action so we can liberate our culture which was suppressed'. Both San and Kalanga, as well as other linguistic minorities in Zimbabwe, need government assistance to maintain their languages.

Zimbabwe faces acute urban challenges, including inadequate water and sanitation, resulting in diarrhoea, typhoid and other health risks, particularly in its large informal settlements. The government, however, has not only failed to address the problems of corruption and exclusion that have contributed to these issues, but has worsened the situation of many poor and vulnerable communities through aggressive policies of eviction and slum clearance, such as the so-called Operation Murambatsvina – literally, 'Drive Out Rubbish' – in which approximately 700,000 residents were forcibly displaced in a 'clean-up' exercise a decade ago, with foreign nationals particularly targeted.

A key objective of the crackdown was to force residents of informal settlements to 'return' to rural areas. In Matabeleland, where many urban residents were forcibly resettled, the legacy of the clearance has contributed to increasing diasporisation as a result. While the Zimbabwean government is threatening further demolitions in several areas, it has generally failed to provide alternative housing to those it has displaced. This is particularly true for the already poor and marginalized in Zimbabwean society, which includes migrant communities and minorities who have migrated to cities. Protecting marginalized rural communities while improving the living conditions of the urban populations is one of the main challenges facing Zimbabwe. A government-supported initiative, Training for Rural Economic Development, was launched in 2014 with the aim of reducing rural-urban migration by providing more livelihood opportunities in local communities.