Zimbabwean Activist Namatai Kwekweza: A Voice of Courage and Resilience

Thumbnail: Despite facing significant adversity, including arrest and torture in 2024, and being placed on a government "Stop List," Namatai Kwekwezaa, a 24-year-old Zimbabwean pro-democracy activist and feminist, remains committed to her activism. She founded WELEAD Trust in 2017, at age 18, to empower young people. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Laws degree, aiming to become a leading human rights lawyer.

Profile: Harare, Zimbabwe - Namatai Kwekweza, a 24-year-old Zimbabwean pro-democracy activist and feminist, has become a leading figure in the struggle for human rights and social justice. Despite facing significant adversity, including arrest and government restrictions, Kwekweza's commitment to empowering young people and advocating for their rights remains steadfast.

Born in 1999, Kwekweza's passion for activism ignited early in her life. She is the founder and director of WELEAD Trust, a youth leadership and advocacy organisation she established in 2017 at the age of 18. Through WELEAD Trust, she has spearheaded various initiatives aimed at empowering young people and championing their rights, earning recognition as a disruptive thought leader. Kwekweza's dedication has been recognised internationally. In 2023, she received the inaugural Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize from the Kofi Annan Foundation and the Democracy and Culture Foundation, for her work in mobilising young people to protect democracy and the rule of law. She also won the Walkabout Prize at the Next Generation Foresight Practitioners Awards in 2020, acknowledging her contributions to community organising and human rights advocacy.

On Wednesday 29 January 2025 Namatai Kwekweza and the president of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union Ober Masarure received the U.S. Ambassador’s Human Rights Defender Award for their unwavering commitment to freedom & democracy.

Kwekweza's dedication to shaping a better future has been further acknowledged through her selection as a fellow at the School of International Futures. She is also an award-winning public speaker with Toastmasters International in Southern Africa.

Despite her achievements, Kwekweza has faced considerable challenges. On 31st July 2024, she was arrested alongside two other pro-democracy campaigners, Robson Chere and Samuel Gwenzi. They were initially charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly staging a protest at the Harare Magistrates Court. Kwekweza recounted a harrowing experience of being abducted, tortured, and interrogated by unidentified individuals, who accused them of planning demonstrations to humiliate the country and the President. She said, "We were abducted, taken to the domestic terminal at the airport which at the time was closed to the public due to renovations, tortured, held incommunicado, intimidated, interrogated by unidentified persons, and finally handed over to the police after 8 hours upon which the disorderly conduct charges were brought against us.".

She was held incommunicado for eight hours before being handed over to the police. Further restrictions were placed on her late last year when she was put on the government's "Stop List," hindering her ability to renew her national identification document. This restriction was later addressed with the assistance of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR).

Despite these obstacles, Kwekweza's spirit remains unbroken. "What they arrested on the 31st of July was just my body. My spirit throughout the whole ordeal remained free! In my heart, I have a fervent belief in the strength of the human will in its pursuit of truth, Justice, and freedom,” she stated.

Kwekweza is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Laws degree with the University of South Africa (UNISA), aspiring to become a constitutional and international human rights lawyer. She is also committed to expanding her advocacy efforts to create a more just and equitable society.

Namatai Kwekweza's story is a testament to resilience, courage, and unwavering dedication to human rights, serving as an inspiration to young people both in Zimbabwe and internationally.