Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
A DISTURBING rise in child vendors has been observed in Mutare’s Central Business District, where boys of primary school age—many lured from rural settlements and border areas in neighbouring Mozambique—are being exploited for little more than food and shelter.
Investigations by The Manica Post over the past three weeks revealed that most of these youngsters have never enrolled in school and spend their days selling boiled eggs, airtime, and other small wares.
The situation, which bears the hallmarks of illegal human trafficking, has seen children already in Zimbabwe being used to recruit more of their peers from across the border.
Interviews conducted by this newspaper show that many of the boys are under the control of employers based in Mutare’s high-density suburbs of Chikanga, Sakubva, and Dangamvura.
One of them, Antonio Simamngo (13), said he was lured from Machipanda Village in Mozambique in August 2025 with promises of schooling alongside work. Instead, he now spends his days selling at least three 10-litre buckets of boiled eggs in Mutare’s CBD.
“I was promised that I would attend school and sell eggs during spare time. I came here in August. The woman I am staying with in Chikanga is the one who took me from Mozambique after visiting her relative,” Antonio said.
Antonio admitted that he has never attended school, either in Mozambique or Zimbabwe. His father died when he was very young, and he lived with his mother before being brought to Mutare.
“I was not attending school back home. I have never been to school in fact. I think nothing much has changed, except that I now get a decent meal in the morning and evening,” he added, speaking in a deep Sena accent.
Another boy, Kumbirai Sithole, from Mahenye Village in Chipinge South, revealed that he had been persuaded to recruit two more children from his village for employers in Mutare.
The growing presence of these child vendors highlights a troubling cycle of exploitation, where vulnerable boys are stripped of their right to education and childhood, forced instead into menial labour under harsh conditions.
“I came here with a distant relative with whom I stay in Dangamvura. I had finished Grade Seven. I am no longer attending school. I do not get paid, but they give me food and accommodation only. I also managed to get two other boys from my home area who came here to do the same job,” he said.
Director of Labour Administration in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Mr Clemence Vusani said: “Under Zimbabwe’s Labour Act (Chapter 28:01), as amended, it is illegal to employ a child under the age of 16 in any form of employment, including menial or informal activities such as street vending in the city, whether for wages or any material benefit.
“The law does not exempt informal work, and employment of persons aged 16 to 18 is only permitted if the work is not hazardous, does not harm their health, safety or morals, and does not interfere with schooling or development. Any contract of employment involving a child under 16 is void and unenforceable, and persons who employ, permit, or cause a child to engage in such work commit an offence.
“Upon conviction, offenders face severe penalties, including a fine of up to Level 12 and/or imprisonment for up to 10 years, and parents or guardians who allow children to engage in unlawful labour may also be held liable under child protection laws.”
Simukai Child Protection Programme executive director, Mr Evans Magumise said: “We acknowledge with serious concern the growing presence of very young boys selling boiled eggs and other items on the streets of Mutare. This trend raises significant child protection, legal, and social welfare concerns and requires urgent multi-sectoral action.
“The reported luring of children from rural areas and neighbouring Mozambique raises additional concerns of child trafficking, which is a serious criminal offence. Measures required to address the child labour trend in Mutare include a coordinated, child-centred, and systems-based response, involving Government, civil society, communities, and law enforcement. Key actions include strengthened law enforcement and child protection response, active identification and withdrawal of children from street vending by the Department of Social Development, local authorities, and Zimbabwe Republic Police’s Victim Friendly Unit, investigation and prosecution of adults who recruit, transport, or benefit from child labour, and cross-border collaboration where foreign nationals are involved is also paramount.”
Ms Perpetual Nyakapiko, a lawyer with the Legal Resources Foundation, said:
“The most important thing on child labour is to address the root cause of these cases because prosecution alone will not work if the very reason why children are on the streets vending is not addressed. Cooperation between Zimbabwe and Mozambique is crucial, particularly on issues of child trafficking and immigration. This includes raising awareness in communities about the consequences of employing children. Ensuring that cases of children in need of care or child-headed families are reported to the Department of Social Development is essential, so that steps can be taken to protect these children,” she added.
Director of the Centre for Research and Development (CRD), Mr James Mupfumi said: “Street vending by primary school-aged children constitutes child labour, especially where it exposes them to abuse, long hours, unsafe environments, and deprives them of education.
“Zimbabwe has ratified the international labour Organisation (ILO) Convention on child labour and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. These commitments oblige the Government to take concrete action to prevent exploitation, protect vulnerable children, and hold perpetrators accountable.
“Strengthened enforcement of child labour laws by labour inspectors, social welfare officers, and law enforcement agencies is needed. Cross-border cooperation, particularly given reports of children coming from neighbouring Mozambique, is necessary to address trafficking and exploitation networks. There is also a need for social protection interventions to support vulnerable households, including food security, education assistance, and livelihood support, as well as increased community awareness to challenge the normalisation of child labour as a survival strategy.”
