I Dislike US Secretary of State Marco Rubio - But His Claims on Human Trafficking in Zimbabwe Are Spot-On

How did trafficked Malawian women end up in South Africa? Most likely, the transit route was Zimbabwe. Along the way, money changed hands - fiscal transactions greased the path to exploitation. Around 100 Malawian women were trafficked by a syndicate of Chinese origin to work as slaves on a South African farm. This crime remains under-investigated, and it appears politicians may be implicated.

It would be revealing if the truth emerged, especially given the parallel criminal investigations unfolding in South Africa - drug trafficking, human trafficking, and corruption scandals that defy common sense. Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart spoke of a corrupt African “corrupt through and through." That description still fits.

Zimbabwe has a long history of human rights abuses, beginning with the colonial-era culture of domestic servitude. Today, 90% of households employ domestic workers - maids, cattle herders, mine labourers, farmhands, and fruit pickers. Labour exploitation and trafficking syndicates prey on poverty-stricken citizens across Africa.

The conditions for domestic workers remain unchanged. Girls and women are treated like slaves - working from dawn to dusk without rest. They eat leftovers from their employers' tables. Children are cruel to them, throwing sticks and objects, mimicking their parents' dehumanizing attitudes. Salaries are meagre, far below the value of their labour.

Cattle herders, especially from Binga, often receive no salary - just food to survive. When livestock goes missing, the herder is blamed first. In one case, Mrs. Chiwenga lost cattle to rustlers and accused the boy herder. Upon investigation, it turned out the cattle owner had stolen them.

Mine workers face similar exploitation. They work for months without pay, leave, and seek employment elsewhere - only to repeat the cycle.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio must have done thorough research. His remarks on human trafficking and domestic servitude in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa are grounded in reality. Serious human rights violations persist across the SADC region, often overlooked by those in power. SADC institutions profit from undocumented citizens. Foreign investors - especially Chinese - commit daily crimes with impunity, backed by officials. They're even authorized to shoot “unruly" citizens. Rural communities in diamond-rich areas are evicted without compensation. Ancestral graves are desecrated in the pursuit of gold and diamonds - benefiting Zimbabwe's elite and Chinese investors.

Tendai Mbofana once wrote about environmental atrocities committed by Chinese businessmen - destroying land with impunity and ignoring indigenous land rights.

"Economic hardship and certain traditional practices, such as trading daughters for food, money, or reconciliation ceremonies (Ngozi), increase the risk of trafficking. Traffickers also target Zimbabweans abroad, luring them with false promises of employment or scholarships - particularly in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, China, and the Middle East - before forcing them into labour, domestic servitude, or sex work. Zimbabwe also serves as a transit country for migrants from Somalia, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Zambia en route to South Africa, while being a destination for forced labour and sex trafficking from Mozambican and Malawian children."

Zimbabwe's economic collapse exposes the poorest. Women are especially vulnerable - lured with fake job offers abroad, particularly in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. They're issued visas that trap them in slave-like conditions, enriching Zimbabwean traffickers. Visa terms are controlled by middle-women - employers who threaten deportation if victims report abuse.

These women are forced to repay fake debts - visa fees, rent, and other charges - often in the thousands of pounds. They're packed into single rooms, paying exorbitant rent. Zimbabweans exploiting fellow Zimbabweans. Some syndicates have been caught by UK authorities, but most go free.

This is what Marco Rubio is lamenting.  
"The United States has retained Zimbabwe on its list of countries failing to meet minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking, citing large-scale exploitation of girls for sexual purposes."

Zimbabwe is not alone. Human trafficking is a continental crisis. African women and girls face exploitation across borders. In West Africa, young women are trafficked to Europe to work in brothels and sex shops. Recently, women were trafficked to EU countries - especially Germany - forced to have multiple children to qualify for child benefits.

In one case, a woman with six children refused to have a seventh. She was murdered. The trafficker received a life sentence.

"Human trafficking is a horrific and devastating crime that benefits transnational criminal networks and undermines lawful societies," said Marco Rubio.

When we speak of slavery in Africa, we often blame the West. But African kingdoms were complicit in the slave trade. That part of history is rarely told. Slavery has long been practiced in Africa.

Countries like Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, Togo, and Benin - once active in the slave trade - now demand reparations. But how do we reconcile that with their historical complicity?

Slavery has evolved. It's harder to quantify today. A new definition is needed to capture its modern forms. Because slavery still exists - in diverse, insidious ways.