Women, Trade, and Xenophobia: Zimbabweans Navigating Risk in Southern Africa

By Thabisani Dube

Every day, an intricate dance unfolds in Zimbabwe’s bustling cities of Harare and Bulawayo, where buses and trucks pulse with life, packed not only with goods but with dreams and aspirations. Among the passengers are women traders who cross borders, their livelihoods teetering on the edge of opportunity and vulnerability. Regional frameworks like the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Free Trade Area (FTA) have opened doors for these women-led small and medium enterprises (SMEs), allowing them to export goods to Zambia, Malawi, and beyond. Yet, in the shadows of potential prosperity lies a stark reality: the spectre of xenophobia and human rights violations in host countries.

As Zimbabwean women navigate the complexities of cross-border trade, they face not only the challenges of customs regulations and border controls but also the harsh realities of discrimination. While initiatives like COMESA foster economic integration, they cannot shield these women from the xenophobic sentiments that permeate parts of Southern Africa, revealing a pressing need for protective policies and systemic safeguards.

In a sunlit corner of Bindura, Chipo Moyo, a 38-year-old entrepreneur, reflects on her journey. Her enterprise, Moyo’s Naturals, produces organic dried fruits and nuts sourced from local smallholder farmers. “Before exporting, we depended on local buyers who could not sustain us,” she recalls. “Through COMESA trade facilitation programmes, I learnt how to access markets in Zambia and Malawi. It changed everything.”

Moyo’s narrative is emblematic of a larger movement: thousands of Zimbabwean women are capitalising on regional frameworks, yet they constantly battle the spectre of discrimination, particularly at border crossings. These women traders are not merely economic contributors; they demand acknowledgment as vital parts of the regional economy.

In Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, 37-year-old ceramic artisan Saliwe Ndebele shares her own challenges. She exports handmade pottery to regional markets, but she confronts an uphill battle every time she crosses a border. “As a woman crossing borders regularly, you face delays, harassment, and sometimes hostility,” Ndebele says. “You are treated not as a trader contributing to the economy, but as a foreigner who does not belong.”

Such daily struggles sing a familiar tune for many women in cross-border trade. Transport delays, expensive border procedures, and limited financial access weigh heavily on their shoulders. For traders dealing in perishable goods, even minor delays can spell disaster, leading to significant financial losses.

Human rights organisations increasingly recognise that trade facilitation and migrant protection must go hand in hand. 

In Nyamandhlovu, in Matabeleland North Province, maize miller Talent Sibanda has expanded her operations to supply supermarkets in Lusaka, Zambia, creating jobs for women in her community. However, her worries linger: “We depend on regional markets, but we fear being targeted simply because we are Zimbabwean.”

Sibanda’s fears are grounded in reality. According to Xenowatch at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa has documented 1,295 incidents of xenophobic discrimination since 1994, resulting in over 128,758 displacements, 5,648 shops looted, and 696 fatalities. These statistics starkly illustrate the risks Zimbabwean traders face as they seek a better life amid unrelenting hostility.

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has repeatedly expressed concern over the treatment of Zimbabweans abroad, particularly during episodes of violence against foreign nationals. Personal stories of harassment underscore the critical need for systemic protections. In South Africa, Zimbabwean migrants have been denied healthcare during outbreaks of xenophobic violence, leaving women traders without access to essential services during business trips.

Traders recount being unfairly targeted by law enforcement for document checks and fines, even when they possess valid papers. Such discriminatory policing exacerbates the fear and expense associated with each border crossing. During the 2019 xenophobic attacks in Johannesburg, South Africa, Zimbabwean-owned shops were looted, forcing many women traders to abandon their goods and retreat home empty-handed.

ZHRC Chairperson Jessie Majome stresses the imperative of addressing extraterritorial violations against Zimbabweans: “We cannot turn a blind eye when Zimbabweans suffer violations beyond our borders. Regional solidarity is essential if trade and migration are to be safe and dignified,” she says.

The ZHRC, under former chair Dr. Elasto Mugwadi, played a pivotal role in establishing the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), aimed at coordinating regional responses to xenophobia and protecting migrant rights.

Experts argue that regional economic integration cannot thrive without addressing migration governance and human rights protections. Women traders, who represent a growing segment of cross-border entrepreneurs, often juggle the complexities of trade and migration, rendering them especially vulnerable.

Zimbabwe’s recent ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families in 2024 bolsters the ZHRC’s mandate to advocate for the protection of emigrants’ rights. According to ZimTrade, women-led SMEs now account for nearly 40% of Zimbabwe’s registered exporters under COMESA, emphasizing their role in both national and regional economies.

Yet, stereotypes persist. By 2022, immigrants constituted 3.9 per cent of South Africa’s population—approximately 2.4 million people—over a million of whom were women according to the International Labour Organisation and Statistics South Africa. Studies indicate that these migrants significantly contribute to South Africa’s economic landscape, contradicting assumptions of vulnerability.

The rise of women entrepreneurs in Southern Africa encapsulates the transformative potential of regional integration. While COMESA’s Free Trade Area has championed economic growth, the persistence of xenophobia threatens to stall this progress. For women like Chipo, Saliwe, and Talent, cross-border commerce transcends profit; it’s about dignity, survival, and the unwavering right to participate in regional development.

Protecting women traders is not mere charity; it is a regional imperative. Without safeguarding their rights and dignity, the dream of integration remains elusive, leaving a fragile economic future hanging in the balance.